The Helping Hand Raid
by AliasCWN
Summary: Troy is feeling down and finds a project that he thinks he is qualified to handle despite the risks involved.
1. Chapter 1

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 1

The door from the street opened and a redheaded private pushed his way into the room. Totally ignoring the fact that he was being rude he shoved his way past anyone who stood between him and the bar. There were growled complaints but he ignored those too. Raising his voice above those around him he loudly demanded a beer.

"Not that guy again." Hitch moaned as the redhead took his beer and turned his back to the bar.

"If he's here we'd better finish our beers and get out of here." Tully suggested. "Sarge said we could have one beer as long as we stayed out of trouble." Tully tipped the neck of his bottle toward the redhead. "That guy is nothing but a trouble magnet."

"He sure has a big chip on his shoulder." Hitch agreed. "It seems he can't go anywhere without getting into a fight."

"He doesn't draw trouble," Tully corrected, "he makes it." He looked over at the bar and frowned. "Time to go."

Hitch looked over to see the redhead crowding the guy standing next to him at the bar. Knowing that an argument was about to break out he nodded his head in agreement.

The two of them drained their drinks and left the bottles sitting on the table. Getting to their feet they made their way to the door while being careful not to bump into anyone as they passed. Before they reached the exit they heard the first mutterings of the fight they knew was coming. The soldier the redhead was crowding was telling him to back off. The redhead was still pushing against him with his shoulder and the others at the bar were getting annoyed. The longer it went on the louder the rumbling grew.

The door closed behind them and Tully and Hitch paused to breathe in the fresh air. Once the sun set the desert air cooled quickly and it was now much cooler than the air inside the building. The air outside was a little dusty but it wasn't thick with smoke like the air inside the bar.

"Ready to turn in?" Hitch asked as he stepped out into the street.

"May as well." Tully agreed. "Sarge wants to leave early tomorrow. How much do you want to bet that he checks our quarters before long to make sure we're back?"

"It's early yet." Hitch argued.

"Sarge said one beer and he knows one beer doesn't take that long to drink."

"That's all we had." Hitch insisted.

"And he'll be expecting us back early." Tully repeated.

Even standing in the street they could hear voices rising in anger. When they heard the first bottle break they turned to look toward the door.

"There it is." Tully announced.

"You're right, it's time to go." Hitch agreed.

They turned and began walking toward their quarters. They hadn't gone very far before the door burst outward and the fight spread out into the street. Someone came flying through the bar's front window in a shower of glass. Shouts and curses shattered the quiet that had descended on the base after the sun set.

Whistles added to the din as MPs began to rush toward the disturbance. Hitch and Tully had to step off of the street and stand along the side to allow the MP's vehicles to pass them. The MP's were coming from all directions converging on the soldiers who were trying to flee before they could be arrested. Hitch and Tully turned from watching the arrival of the MPs and continued toward their quarters.

"Hold it right there you two!"

They turned to see several MPs rushing toward them. The one in the lead was built like a fireplug and he looked serious. Stopping, they waited for the MPs to catch up to them.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to our quarters." Hitch answered as the MPs surrounded them.

"Oh no you don't!" The MP who resembled the fireplug growled. "You're going right back and join the rest of your buddies!" He pointed to the soldiers who had already been rounded up by his fellow MPs'.

"We're not involved in that." Tully indicated the fight that was still in full swing despite the arrival of the MPs.

"Just because you ran out when we arrived doesn't get you off the hook." The walking fireplug growled. "Just head back that way." He pointed toward the bar.

"We weren't even there when it started." Hitch argued.

"Were you at the bar?"

"Yeah." Tully and Hitch both nodded. "But we left before the fight started." Tully explained.

"Let me see your hands!" Fireplug ordered.

As they held out their hands the MP checked for cuts or bruises. Seeing none he flashed his flashlight across their faces. There were no bruises there either to indicate that they had been involved.

"Some of those other MPs saw us when they arrived." Hitch explained. "They can tell you we weren't running from the bar. We must have left just before it started."

The MP glanced toward the other MPs near the bar. They were still trying to break up the fight. All the soldiers who had been corralled so far showed signs of having been involved in the disturbance. He turned back to the two privates and nodded. "Okay, you can go, but if I find out you lied I'll come looking for you." He warned.

"We'll be at the motor pool at 0600 tomorrow." Tully answered. "Our sergeant has a early patrol scheduled for us."

The MP nodded again. "Okay, get out of here."

Both privates nodded and hurried away before they could be stopped again.

"Sarge is going to hear about that fight." Tully warned.

"Yeah, but we can truthfully say that we weren't involved this time." Hitch grinned.

"We didn't miss it by much." Tully replied. "That MP could have taken us in just on suspicion."

"But he didn't." Hitch replied.

"We didn't miss that fight by much."

"A miss is a miss."

"But it was close." Tully argued. "Sarge would have blown a gasket if we had ended up in the stockade. He was very specific about staying out of trouble."

Hitch nodded quietly at Tully's assessment of the stuation.

"What's wrong?" Tully asked. "That MP didn't even take our names. We aren't in any trouble."

"It's not that." Hitch mumbled.

"Then what is it?"

"That fight was pretty big. It probably did a lot of damaged to the bar. They'll probably have to close it down until they can get the repairs done. Where are we going to go to get a beer?"

Tully laughed. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. We're going to be gone for a couple of days at least. I'm sure by the time we get back the owner will have it all fixed up and open again. They're not going to want to lose all of that business."

Hitch brightened at the thought. "Yeah, and I guess it's not like we go there all the time anyway. They'll have plenty of time to fix it."

"I bet they ban that redhead from going in though." Tully grinned. "That's the second fight he's started there in as many weeks."

"I heard he's not real poplar with his own unit either." Hitch added. "They say he acts like the whole world owes him something. He seems to think that everyone and everything is against him."

"They will be if he keeps it up." Tully predicted.

They reached their quarters and got ready for bed. Tully turned out the light and they pulled their blankets up around their necks. The knock on the door wasn't totally unexpected. Tully reached for the light as he answered the knock.

"Come on in."

Troy stuck his head in the door and checked both bunks. "Back from the bar already?"

"You said one drink." Tully answered. "We each had one drink and then we headed back here. Is there something you need Sarge?"

"I just wanted to remind you that we're headed out early tomorrow." The sergeant replied.

"Okay Sarge, we'll be ready."

"Well good night."

"Night Sarge." Tully called.

"Good night Sarge." Hitch added.

"Told ya." Tully grinned as Troy's footsteps faded down the hall.

Hitch smiled. "Yeah you did." He tucked his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. "We haven't been in any trouble for a while now; you'd think he'd trust us."

"Doc says that it's not that Sarge doesn't trust us, he just worries. Sarge doesn't like to let his feelings show." Tully explained in his slow Kentucky drawl.

"So he yells at us to show his affection?" Hitch asked.

"I guess you could say that. You know how he gets all gruff sometimes?"

"Yeah?"

"That's just Sarge saying he's worried about us."

"Why doesn't he just come right out and say it?" Hitch wondered.

"He's not like us; Sarge is deep."

"I can be deep."

Tully chuckled. "You're more like a puddle while Sarge is a river."

"Hey!" Hitch yelped in protest.

"I'm just saying…Sarge keeps things buried deep, but he feels them just the same."

"He does make sure we don't take any unnecessary risks. It seems like he always takes the most dangerous jobs for himself." Hitch agreed thoughtfully.

"Exactly." Tully agreed. "Doc says Sarge worries about losing one of us." Tully glanced over at Hitch in the lamp light. "Don't let on to Sarge that I told you any of this stuff. I'm not sure Doc was supposed to say anything."

"Why not?"

"Cause Sarge wants us to think he's tough and all business." Tully explained.

"He is." Hitch answered. "He may be the toughest guy I've ever met. Doc is a close second but Sarge is definitely number one. And he does put the mission first." Hitch added.

"Yeah? How about that time he disobeyed orders to get you back from the Germans before they shot you?"

"He didn't disobey orders." Hitch argued. "It just turned out that he had to come back to make sure that the mission hadn't been compromised. He said it himself, saving me was an afterthought."

"And you believed him?" Tully asked in disbelief.

"Not really." Hitch admitted. "But Sarge was smart enough to explain it in a way that convinced headquarters."

"I don't think headquarters cared as long as the mission was successful." Tully argued. "If he had asked permission they would have refused it but since it was already done and everything turned out okay, they didn't care."

"Sarge is smart." Hitch repeated.

"I'm not arguing with you there. Sarge and Doc are both smart. Heck, that's what has kept us all alive this long."

"At least we can agree on that." Hitch smiled and snuggled deeper into his blankets. "Now can we agree to turn out the lights? Sarge said we're leaving early tomorrow and I want to get some sleep."

"You go ahead and get your sleep." Tully nodded as he reached for the light again. "We all know you need your beauty rest. The girls would all be disappointed if you winked at them with dark circles under your eyes."

"They'd still think I was cute." Hitch answered in a haughty tone muffled by the blankets.

Tully laughed. "Yeah, they probably would. It must be those big blue eyes of yours."

"Or my charm.

"Don't push it." Tully growled in mock anger. "I agree that you're cute. What more do you want?"

"Admit that I'm charming."

"You're not my type but maybe your charm would appeal to certain individuals." Tully agreed with a grin. "I bet you could charm an old bear out of a tree." Tully smiled in the dark.

"Thank you." Hitch answered smugly.

"He'd probably pound you into the ground when he reached you," Tully continued, "but I bet he'd come out of the tree to do it."

"Good night Tully."

"Night Hitch." Tully grinned in the dark and rolled onto his side.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 2

"There's the convoy." Moffitt pointed toward the dust in the distance.

Troy looked over and nodded. "That's the third one today. They're moving a lot of stuff; I wonder what they're up to now."

"I'm fairly certain that once we give our report to headquarters they are going to want to send us back out to find out." The British sergeant smiled. "There is no rest for the weary."

"And they aren't the ones running around out here." Troy responded.

Moffitt only smiled in reply.

"We've only been out for four days. You aren't trying to tell me that you want to go home already are you?" Troy laughed at Moffitt's expression.

"We've plotted the routes for their convoys. We counted the convoys and the number of trucks in each one. We made notes on their troop movements and located two of their fuel depots. What else can they possibly want? This was supposed to be a recon mission only."

Troy looked over at Moffitt and smiled knowingly.

Moffitt sighed. "Yes I know; they will want to know what the Germans are up to with all of these convoys." Moffitt rolled his eyes at Troy.

Troy laughed. "All right Doctor, you win. We'll head back to the base and give Captain Boggs what we have. But don't blame me if they send us right back out again." He warned.

Moffitt's eye's twinkled with amusement. "Then don't volunteer for any extra duty."

"Me? Volunteer?" Troy laughed. "I don't think so."

They watched the convoy until it disappeared into the desert haze. Troy took out his notebook and marked down the number and type of vehicles in the latest convoy. He made a special note of the number of halftracks and tanks that were guarding it. "Well that does it." He said as he slid the notebook into his shirt pocket. "If they stay on the same schedule they have for the last three days there won't be any more convoys through here today."

"That's three convoys a day." Moffitt remarked.

"Yeah, but they're all small ones." Troy responded. "Why not run one big one instead of three small ones?"

Moffitt shrugged.

"And why are they suddenly using twice as many halftracks and tanks as usual to guard them? They're using more armor to guard the small ones than they use to guard a big one."

Again Moffitt shrugged.

"Headquarters is going to wonder about that too." Troy predicted.

"Most likely, once you mention it that is. They may not realize it's happening unless you add it in your report."

Troy was staring off in the direction that the convoy had gone. He didn't seem to hear Moffitt's comment.

"Are we really going back now?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah, I think we have enough that headquarters is going to want to see it now. You're right, they'll probably send us right back out to find out what Jerry is up to."

"At least we know where to find them." The other sergeant answered.

Troy looked over at Moffitt and smiled. "Maybe we should just call in our information and wait for new orders. It might save us a lot of driving. Especially if they're going to send us right back out here anyway."

Moffitt made a face until he realized that Troy was only teasing. "For a moment there I thought that you were really serious." He admitted.

Troy closed his eyes to get some relief from the sun. It was a strain on the eyes to stare at the desert for long periods of time. If the sun wasn't shining in your eyes it was reflecting off of the sand. The hot, dry breeze dried the eyes out and made them burn. Between the eye strain and the heat that rose from the sand in shimmering waves it was hard to see clearly. He wanted to rub his eyes but his hands were covered in the fine grit that blew constantly across the desert. Experience had taught him that rubbing the grit in his eyes wouldn't help at all. Getting to his feet he started toward the jeeps. "Let's go home."

"You'll get no argument from me." Moffitt agreed.

Tully was sitting in his jeep watching the desert in front of them. Hitch was standing facing the rear of his jeep and watching the desert in that direction. He had the radio tuned to a music station and he was listening to the music as he stood guard. He had the music turned low so he had no trouble hearing the sergeants when they returned. Both privates looked up as the sergeants walked toward them. Hitch reached over and turned the radio off. He turned to face the sergeants as they reached the jeeps.

"Another convoy?"

"Yeah, headed in the same direction." Troy answered with a nod.

"Are we going to follow them this time?"

"No. We're headed home." Troy answered. He smiled when he saw the look of delight on his driver's face. "Homesick?"

"No." Hitch blushed. "Just ready to relax a little bit. I'd like to sleep in a bed instead of this hard sand too."

Troy smiled. "Then let's get going. Tully told me to make sure that you got your beauty rest."

Hitch blushed again. "Aw Sarge! You know Tully's just jealous because I'm better looking than him."

"I think cute is the word he used to describe you." Troy answered.

"And charming." Hitch added.

Troy stopped smiling. "He must have forgotten to mention that part."

Hitch looked over at Tully and grinned. "Like I said Sarge, he's just jealous."

Tully looked over at Hitch and smiled. After Hitch looked away Tully winked at Troy.

Troy shook his head and slid into the seat beside Hitch. "Let's go home."

Hitch nodded and started the jeep.

Troy was thinking about the information they had collected. Everything they had pointed to another push by the Germans. Things had been pretty quiet lately and both sides had fallen into a comfortable routine. Occasionally the krauts would probe the America lines and the Allies would push a little on the German lines but neither side pushed it too far. No major battles had been fought in weeks but Troy had a feeling that that was about to change. His hand went unconsciously to the notebook in his shirt pocket. Everything in that notebook seemed to indicate that the Germans were about to do something different. The notebook had information on plenty of convoys but not many troops being moved. There hadn't been any columns of armored vehicles seen crossing the desert either. Other than the armored vehicles being used to guard the convoys the Germans had kept their armor out of sight. He wondered what the convoys were carrying that warranted extra security. Despite his teasing Moffitt, Troy had already made up his mind to return to their base and talk to the captain.

The jeep suddenly swayed as Hitch jerked the wheel. His shouted warning came at almost the same time. Troy grabbed for a hand hold as the jeep continued to weave.

"Where is it?" Troy shouted as he realized that his driver had spotted an enemy plane.

"Coming out of the sun." Hitch yelled back. He didn't try to point; he had both hands on the steering wheel trying to control the speeding jeep.

Moffitt's gun opened fire before the Stuka pilot could get close enough to take aim at the racing vehicles.

Troy grabbed the back of his seat and twisted around. Watching Hitch's hands he timed his leap for the back to coincide with the gap between quick turns. "Keep it steady."

Hitch nodded without looking back. Troy looked over to see Tully holding his jeep in a straight course too.

"Wait for my signal." Troy yelled as he opened fire with the 50.

The pilot bore down on them with grim determination. Troy could see the look of concentration on his face through the canopy of the plane. The twin guns on the nose of the plane began to kick up sand behind the jeeps.

"Now!" Troy yelled.

The jeeps parted company and the plane continued on in a straight line. Troy and Moffitt both fired at it but Troy didn't think either of them had done any damage.

The second plane came out of the sun while they were dealing with the first one. Troy yelled a warning and Hitch barely got the jeep turned before the line of bullets tore up the sand where they had just been.

Tully saw the second plane and turned to give Moffitt a better line of fire. Moffitt's gun roared and they could both see the line of holes appear in the plane's wing. The pilot fought to keep control of his aircraft but the flaps had been hit. The plane started to wobble and then the wing exploded as leaking fuel hit damaged wires. The plane plunged to the ground without gaining enough altitude to allow the pilot to eject. It exploded on impact throwing shrapnel and sand everywhere.

Hitch and Tully both twisted their wheels to keep their jeeps away from the dangerous shrapnel. Troy spun around to try to locate the first plane again.

"It must be using the sun for cover again." Troy yelled as Hitch tried to locate the aircraft.

Hitch nodded and continued driving while he waited for Troy to tell him which way to turn.

This time when the plane came at them it didn't drop low for a strafing run. His guns remained ominously quiet as he took aim at Troy's jeep.

"Here he comes!" Troy yelled.

Again Hitch began to swerve to avoid the bullets but the pilot wasn't going to bother trying to shoot them anymore. Troy realized that he was lining up to drop his bomb on the jeep.

"He's going to drop his bomb!"

Hitch's hands tightened on the steering wheel at the news. He knew his timing would have to be perfect if they were going to avoid the bomb.

"Here he comes!" Troy yelled again.

Hitch dodged left and the pilot, unable to match the turn, pulled up. Troy searched for Moffitt and Tully. Tully had seen their danger and was trying to get Moffitt into position to hit the plane. The pilot lined his aircraft up again and began another run. This time he came in a little slower, ready to follow the jeep whichever way it turned.

Troy shouted and Hitch spun the wheel. The jeep slid in the soft sand causing it to hesitate for a fraction of a minute before it turned. That hesitation gave the pilot time to make his own adjustments. Even as Moffitt opened fire Troy saw the bomb drop free of the belly of the plane.

"Jump!"

Troy dove from the jeep and burrowed into the sand. He covered his head with his hands and shielded his face. He heard the jeep continue on. He heard the whine as the bomb fell. The explosion sent shock waves across the sand that pushed his body to the side. He kept his eyes tightly closed to avoid the dust cloud that he knew would pelt him with fine grit. The ground shook with the impacts as pieces of the bomb and parts of the jeep fell back to the sand. Luckily none of the pieces hit him. He couldn't hear any sound but he waited until the sand and gravel quit falling on him before he moved.

He felt rather than heard the second jeep slide to a stop next to him. He raised his head and looked up as Moffitt jumped to the ground beside him. Moffitt's mouth was moving but Troy still couldn't hear, so he just shook his head. "I can't hear a thing." He explained.

Moffitt nodded and reached for his arm. He helped him roll over and checked him for injuries.

"I'm okay, I just can't hear." Troy assured him. He pushed Moffitt's hands away. "Just give me a minute for my hearing to come back." He saw Moffitt's head nod and then jerk up to look in the direction the jeep had gone. Troy twisted to look in that direction too.

He saw Tully on his knees beside Hitch. Tully was talking to Moffitt but Troy's ears were still ringing too much to make out what was being said. Hitch was lying so still that Troy felt a sudden sense of dread. He tried to get to his feet but Moffitt put his hand on his shoulder. When Moffitt spoke to him Troy just shook his head and pointed to his ears. Moffitt nodded and motioned for him to stay put. Troy looked toward his driver and settled back to the ground. Moffitt left him to join Tully next to the still form on the sand. Troy waited until Moffitt was nearly to the pair before he staggered to his feet to follow.

Tully saw him sway and quickly alerted Moffitt. The British sergeant returned to his side to help him the rest of the way. With his arm over Moffitt's shoulder and Moffitt's arm around his waist, Troy stumbled toward the two privates.

One side of Hitch's face was already turning black and blue. There was blood on his back in several different places and Troy could see shrapnel sticking out of the wounds. Troy dropped to the ground next to his driver while Moffitt examined the injuries.

Tully jumped up and ran for his jeep. Troy took his place beside his injured driver. Tully returned in less than a minute with the first aid kit from the jeep. He handed Moffitt the kit and a canteen of water.

Moffitt rolled Hitch onto his side and checked his eyes. With a shake of his head he spoke softly to Tully who nodded worriedly. Together they placed the unconscious private on his stomach so Moffitt could work on his back. He ripped the shirt away to reveal the damage caused by the shrapnel.

"How is he?" Troy asked in a louder voice than he realized he was using.

The British sergeant looked up and shrugged. His fingers were busy examining the pieces of metal that protruded from the wounds. Tully poured the water over the wounds to clean the blood away so that Moffitt could see more clearly.

"Moffitt?"

"I don't know Troy." Moffitt shouted so that Troy could hear him over the ringing in his ears. "He hit his head pretty hard. I'm certain that he has a concussion. Some of this shrapnel is fairly deep too. The good news is that none of it seems to have hit any vital organs." Moffitt's hands were busy picking out the smaller pieces of shrapnel. "I think I can get all of this shrapnel out and get the bleeding stopped. We need to get him back to a hospital."

Troy nodded as if he had heard everything Moffitt said when in reality he had barely caught half of it. He watched with worried eyes as Moffitt continued to work on the injured private.

"It looks like he hit his head on that rock when he jumped from the jeep." Moffitt said in his usual voice. Tully nodded and glanced at Troy.

"I told him to jump." Troy stated flatly.

Moffitt looked up in surprise. "Has your hearing come back?"

Troy nodded without taking his eyes off of his injured man. "Will he make it?"

Moffitt hesitated, considering what he could say. "I can't make any promises," he replied carefully, "but I have hope. He's been hurt worse and pulled through."

"It's a long way to the base."

"That's true." Moffitt admitted. "But if I know you, you'll find a way to get him there." Moffitt smiled.

"We only have one jeep."

Moffitt shrugged as he began to apply bandages to the wounds.

"We need another vehicle."

Moffitt nodded but didn't say anything.

Tully looked up at his sergeants. "They run patrols around those fuel depots."

"A patrol car would do it." Troy decided.

"I'll wait here with Hitch, unless you need me." Moffitt volunteered.

"No, Hitch needs you. Tully and I can handle this on our own." Troy answered.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 3

Tully and Troy returned with a patrol car to find Moffitt dug into the sand behind some rocks about four hundred feet from the wreckage of the jeep. He walked out to meet them as they drove up. "Any problems?"

"Piece of cake." Tully drawled. "How's Hitch?"

"He's awake."

Tully climbed out of his jeep to go check on his buddy.

"Did they get a message out?" Moffitt asked Troy as Tully walked away.

"Maybe, we don't know for sure."

"Then they may send more planes to finish the job."

Troy shrugged. "Does it matter? The pilot that dropped the bomb would have told them about us. He may not know that we survived but he darn sure knows that you and Tully are still out here."

"We should leave the area as soon as possible. They'll send ground troops to check the wreckage." Moffitt warned.

"Can Hitch travel?"

"Does he have a choice?"

"I guess not." Troy looked toward the rocks where Tully was kneeling next to Hitch. "We made a bed for him in the patrol car. We figured we could use the jeep for protection."

"That sounds reasonable." Moffitt nodded. "Troy, are you sure you're all right?"

"I told you, I'm fine."

"I mean… about a Hitch."

"Hitch?" Troy frowned. It took him a minute to understand what Moffitt meant. "Yeah Moffitt, I'm okay. I told him to jump but there was a bomb on the way. If I hadn't told him to jump he'd be in more pieces than that jeep."

"It was just bad luck that he hit that rock when he jumped."

"Yeah."

"Shall we go get him and head for home?"

Troy nodded. He walked around the rocks to find Hitch watching him. "How are you doing?"

Hitch nodded his head slowly. "I'm okay Sarge."

Troy frowned as he noticed the slur of the words. He studied the bruises that covered half of his driver's face. "You got a pretty good shiner going there."

Hitch looked confused at first. He looked at Tully for an explanation. Tully pointed at his face. "I didn't have time to avoid that rock. I saw it about the time it hit me in the face."ow are youdoing?""H"H""""""H

"You couldn't put your hands in front of your face?"

Hitch didn't answer right away. He looked like he was trying to come up with a good excuse. "It all happened so fast that I didn't even think about that." Hitch admitted. "I guess I was more worried about the bomb."

"It almost got you." Troy said quietly.

"But it didn't."

Troy looked at his driver for a minute without saying anything. Finally he nodded and pointed toward the patrol car. "Are you ready to go home?"

Hitch closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah Sarge, I'm ready. I guess I'm going to be laid up for a while." He sighed tiredly.

"You take care of yourself and follow the doctor's orders. We'll make out until you get back."

After they dropped Hitch off at the base hospital Troy and Moffitt went to see Captain Boggs. They wanted to tell him everything they had discovered.

"I heard you have a man wounded." The captain stated as soon as they closed the door behind them.

"Hitch. A bomb took out our jeep." Troy reported.

"How is he?"

Troy shrugged. "The preliminary reports are promising. The doctors are still working on him. They said Moffitt did a good job of taking care of him."

"Does that surprise you?" The captain looked over at Moffitt.

"No." Troy smiled with a shake of his head. "We'd be lost without Moffitt and his many skills."

"I take it you'll be needing a replacement for Hitchcock?"

"A temporary replacement." Troy stressed.

"Okay, I'll see who is available." The captain promised. "Now what did you find out there?"

Troy pulled out his notebook and began to read off the figures he had written in it. Moffitt added details as they went along. When they had covered everything, including the plane attack, they sat back and waited for the captain to ask questions.

"Why are they sending their supplies through in small convoys when a large one would be easier to defend?"

Troy and Moffitt shrugged.

"Perhaps they think that if they lose a convoy they won't lose as much if they send it out in small batches." Moffitt suggested.

"I suppose that could be it." The captain acknowledged.

"But you're not convinced." Troy guessed.

"I don't know." Captain Boggs answered. "But that still doesn't explain why they are moving so many supplies. Headquarters is going to want that explained."

"You want us to go back out." Troy guessed.

"Afraid so."

When?"

"You lost a jeep." Captain Boggs began.

"And a man." Troy added.

"And a man." The captain repeated. "I'll have to make arrangements to replace both of them. It may take a day or two to get a new jeep fitted for your needs."

Troy nodded.

"I'll let you know when it's ready. I'll get a list of men who may fit your needs as a replacement. Until then take a day or two off. Let me know what the doctors tell you about Hitchcock."

"Thank you sir, we're headed over there now."

"I'll let headquarters know what you found." The captain dismissed them and they headed straight for the hospital. Hitch was out of surgery and sleeping when they arrived. Tully was sitting by his bed reading a paperback book.

"Hey Tully." Troy and Moffitt nodded. "What did the doctors have to say?"

Tully looked up and smiled. "The doc said Hitch will be out of action for a couple of weeks. They stitched him up and put him on antibiotics. He has a concussion but they think he'll make a full recovery."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah." Tully agreed. "They gave him something to help him sleep so he probably won't be awake again until tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Troy nodded. "We'll come back tomorrow then. The captain gave us tomorrow off so we can get some rest and come back later."

"If we're not going back out right away I think I'll just stay here if it's all right with you." Tully responded.

Troy nodded again. "That's fine Tully. We have to wait for our new jeep anyway and the captain said it would be a day or two."

"Why don't we go get a drink before we turn in?" Moffitt suggested.

Troy only hesitated a moment before he agreed.

Two hours later Moffitt was trying to convince Troy to go back to their quarters.

Troy swayed in his seat and reached for his nearly empty glass. "I think I need another drink." His words slurred as he tipped the glass to his lips.

"Troy, you're drunk."

"What? I'm not allowed to get drunk once in a while? We have the next two days off. Come on Doctor, join me."

Moffitt watched Troy drain his glass and order another drink. "What's the occasion?" He signaled the bartender to refill his glass too.

"Why do I need a reason?" Troy demanded.

Moffitt shrugged. "You're just not the kind of person who does things without a reason. You're not spontaneous, you're calculated. You always have a reason for the things you do."

"Maybe I just feel liked it."

Moffitt smiled. "That in itself is not surprising. You hold too much inside Troy, you keep it all bottled up. Actually, perhaps you should get drunk, you deserve it."

"I deserve it?" Troy laughed. "I told Hitch to jump and he hit his head on a rock."

"He's alive."

"Yeah." Troy sighed. "He is, and believe me, I'm thankful for that."

"Then what's bothering you?"

"All of it." Troy admitted. "Hitch got hurt…and do you know who helped him?" Troy peered at Moffitt over the rim of his glass. "You."

"We all did Troy. You told him to jump before the bomb hit. I stayed with him while you and Tully acquired the patrol car. We all brought him home."

"But I should have done more!"

"You got him to a hospital."

"I should have done more." Troy moaned. "I keep thing I should have done more."

"You did everything you could." Moffitt assured him.

"You're right, I did. But when he got wounded I didn't know how to help him. I don't have the skills that you do Moffitt. I didn't know what to do to help." Troy looked at Moffitt through bleary eyes. "They're my responsibility; I should know how to help them." He shook his head. "I just want to do more."

Moffitt swished the liquid around in his glass and thought about what Troy was saying. He didn't understand what Troy needed but he was willing to help with whatever it was. "I have an idea Troy. Why don't you let me take you back to our quarters? Tomorrow morning, when you're thinking much clearer, we can discuss this again. Perhaps between the two of us we can come up with a way for you to do more."

"Do more?" Troy asked in confusion. "Do more what?"

"Whatever it is you need." Moffitt answered simply.

Troy closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay."

Moffitt pushed his untouched drink aside and rose to help Troy to his feet. He walked around the table and took a grip on Troy's arm.

"I don't understand it Doctor. Why do I feel like I need to do more?"

"You're a good person Troy."

"But I do my job. I do my best to keep all of us alive. Why isn't that enough?" Troy stumbled over his own feet.

"You do do your job." Moffitt agreed. "And you do an excellent job of keeping us all alive. None of us are complaining. Perhaps tomorrow we can figure out a way to help you. Heaven knows you're always there for us."

The heated air outside of the bar seemed to take the starch out of Troy. He leaned heavily on Moffitt all the way to their quarters. Once there he dropped gracelessly onto his bunk and was asleep almost immediately. Moffitt watched him sleep until the room started to cool. Getting to his feet the British sergeant silently left the room to go to the mess hall for something to eat. He was just finishing his meal when Tully dropped his tray on the table across from him.

"Hey Doc."

"Tully."

"Where's Sarge?" Tully asked as he looked around the room for Troy.

"He's sleeping."

"This early?"

"He needed the rest." Moffitt answered. "I thought you were going to stay with Hitch."

Tully shrugged. "I needed to eat. Besides, he's still asleep. The nurse assured me that he will still be asleep when I get back."

Moffitt nodded his understanding.

"How's Sarge?"

This time it was Moffitt who shrugged. "Tired. He's worried about Hitch."

"The doc said Hitch should be fine."

"He still worries." Moffitt smiled.

"He did everything he could, we all did."

"Yes, he did…we did."

"But he blames himself?"

"Perhaps a little bit. I think it's more that he feels helpless when there is nothing more he can do. He's not used to letting someone else do what he thinks he should be doing."

"Sarge does enough. He takes on too much sometimes." Tully insisted.

"I agree, but Troy will be Troy."e's noted tHeHH


	4. Chapter 4

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 4

When Troy opened his eyes the next morning he found a glass of water and three aspirin on the stand by his bed. Moffitt had already gone for breakfast while leaving a note telling Troy where he was. The note invited Troy to join him in the mess hall. Shower first, the note had said, you smell like the pub. Troy took Moffitt's advice and showered and shaved before heading out to join him.

Moffitt and Tully were sitting together at one of the back tables. He filled his tray and walked back to join them. Dropping his tray on the table he sat down and rested his head in his hands.

"Still have a headache?"

Troy nodded and made a face when the movement sent lightning bolts shooting through the back of his eyeballs.

Moffitt saw the face and tried not to smile. "Didn't you find the aspirin?"

"Yeah I found it." Troy replied. "My headache was going away until I had to go out into that bright sunlight." Troy took a peek at Moffitt and tried to smile. "Thanks, but it's not your job to take care of me."

The other sergeant shrugged. "Someone has to."

"I'm supposed to be the one responsible."

"We all need a little extra help every now and then." The Brit smiled.

Troy sighed. "Yeah." He looked over at Tully. "I thought you were staying with Hitch until he woke up."

"He woke up…besides, we all have to eat too."

"How's he doing?"

"Sore. Wishing he had missed that rock." Tully smiled. "He wasn't awake long but he seemed better this morning. I think he's expecting you to visit."

"I will." Troy promised as he glanced at his watch. "I have to see the captain this morning about a replacement but then I'll run by the hospital."

"Do you want me to come along?" Moffitt offered.

"That's okay." Troy waved him off. "I just have to see when the new jeep will be ready and decide who will replace Hitch for the time being. If I need you I know where to find you."

"I'll visit a while with Hitch then."

"I'll meet you there after I talk to the captain."

Moffitt looked down at Troy's tray and a frown creased his brow. "Aren't you going to put anything in your stomach besides coffee?"

Troy looked at his untouched plate. "It looked better before I put it on my plate."

"Eat the toast at least, really Troy, you're going to get sick." Moffitt scolded.

Tully chuckled as Troy obediently reached for the toast.

"I'll be in the motor pool Sarge. I want to go over my jeep while we have the down time." Tully nodded at Moffitt and picked up his empty tray.

Troy watched him go with a faint smile. Moffitt stayed until Troy ate all of his toast and part of his eggs. Satisfied that the other man had eaten something, he excused himself and went to visit their youngest member.

There were loud voices coming out of Captain Boggs' office when Troy arrived to announce his presence to the captain's aide. He tried to pretend that he didn't hear the shouting as he took a seat to wait his turn to see the officer.

"Man that guy is really getting chewed out." The captain's clerk remarked. "Not that he doesn't deserve it." He continued. "I don't remember the last time I heard the captain so angry. That guy really screwed up this time."

"What did he do?" Troy asked since it was obvious that the clerk wanted to talk.

"Started another fight at the bar last night." The clerk answered. "They just finished the repairs from the last fight he started. I heard the captain is getting a lot of complaints. He really hates those. He says he has enough problems without somebody making more on purpose."

Troy remembered the fight that had occurred before they left on patrol. He had been worried that Hitch and Tully had gotten caught up in that one. Thankfully they had gotten out just before the fight started.

The shouting continued and Troy realized that there was only one voice making all of the noise. He smiled and marveled at how long the captain could shout without pausing to take a breath. Finally the room got quiet and the captain's office door opened. Troy looked up as two MPs escorted a redheaded private from the office. The captain's face was still as red as the private's hair and he still looked furious. Troy wondered if he should come back later.

"Troy!"

All thoughts of postponing the meeting fled as the captain called his name.

"What do you need?" The captain demanded. Before Troy could answer the captain held up a hand and sighed. "Never mind, I remember. You need a new jeep and a replacement driver." The captain ran his fingers through his hair and sighed again.

"Yes sir." Troy replied in a quiet voice. He hoped the captain would lower his voice too since he still had a headache.

"Come on in Troy."

Troy closed his eyes in relief as the officer dropped his tone to a normal level.

"Close the door."

Troy closed the door and took a seat in front of the captain's desk.

The captain sighed again and sat in his own chair. Leaning back he looked at the wall behind Troy while he gathered his thoughts. "The motor pool tells me that your new jeep will be ready this afternoon. You can head back out tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir."

"I haven't found you a replacement yet." The officer glanced down at the papers on his desk. "I've been a bit preoccupied with other matters. I've been dealing with Private Cantrell and the mess he managed to make. Three times in three weeks! I've about had it with him!" The officer's voice began to rise in anger as he recalled his earlier visitor.

"What's his story Captain?"

The officer fingered a file on his desk and hesitated before answering the question. "The kid has been in and out of trouble for the last couple of years. I don't know what he did this last time but the judge finally gave him an ultimatum, join the Army or go to jail. Lucky us, he chose the Army."

"Is that how the judges in his neck of the woods usually deal with trouble makers?" Troy asked. "I mean, do they usually give them a choice how they want to be punished?" The idea intrigued Troy.

"Not usually, at least I don't think so." The captain admitted. "It's not unheard of; it does happen from time to time. Usually there are extenuating circumstances that warrant a different kind of rehabilitation." The captain ran his finger around the edge of the file. "This kid comes from a small town where everybody knows everybody."

Troy nodded.

"According to his records he started acting out after his father passed away." The captain hurried to explain once he had decided to share with Troy. "I guess the community and the local law tried to help him but the chip on his shoulder was just too much. The file says he was a good kid, no trouble at all before the accident. After the accident he started to act up, small things at first, then more serious violations. The local law tried to overlook it at first but it just got worse. Finally the judge didn't have a choice; he had to do something, so he gave him a choice, us or jail. Unfortunately, he's not doing any better in the Army."

"He looks young."

"Almost twenty, according to his records." The captain answered. He tapped the file under his hand on the desk.

"How old was he when his father died?"

"Seventeen, eighteen, somewhere in there. I'd have to read the file again. Why?"

Troy shrugged. "I lost my father when I was sixteen." His eyes unfocused as the memories flooded back. He took a deep breath and shook them away. "It was the worst day of my life. To this day, with all of the things I've been through in this war, it remains the worst day of my life." The sergeant answered.

The captain nodded sympathetically. "Then maybe you have some idea what this kid is going through. I've about had it with his attitude. I am running out of patience with him."

"Yeah, I guess do." Troy nodded thoughtfully. "I acted out after my father died too. My mother was at her wits end with me."

"How'd you get over it?"

Troy shrugged. "I had David, my brother, and my mother. They didn't give up on me. A couple of uncles stepped in to help fill the void. At first I resented them for it; I didn't want anyone to take my Dad's place. They finally made me understand that they weren't trying to take his place; they were just trying to help me move on. They reminded me of all of the good times we had together. They kept telling me that he would want me to be happy. My dad was always smiling, that's one of the things I remember best about him. After a while I started letting go of the anger and things got better."

"Anger? At whom?"

"Everybody." Troy answered. "It felt like it was me against the world. Nobody knew what I had lost, nobody cared, I was alone."

"What about your mother and brother? The Captain asked. "They lost him too."

"I was really close to my Dad. I didn't think that they were taking it hard enough. I felt like they were letting him go too easy. I couldn't see their pain through my own." Troy shook his head. "Everybody deals with loss differently. I made theirs worse by acting like a jerk."

"It's a good thing you had uncles to help you then." The captain offered.

"Yeah, I had plenty of help when it comes right down to it."

"It sounds like people tried to help Cantrell too, but he refused to let them."

"Maybe he just needs someone who understands his pain."

"This is the Army Troy, we can't baby our soldiers. We don't have the luxury of pampering him until he gets his act together. I've given him all of the breaks I can; I have to go to the next step."

"What's that sir?"

"The stockade." The captain answered. "Some serious jail time if he continues the way he's going."

Troy nodded; he knew what the captain meant. "Captain, can I get back to you about a replacement?"

"We haven't settled on one yet." The officer answered in confusion. "Do you have someone in particular in mind?"

"I may sir." Troy nodded. "But I have to talk to the others first."

Captain Boggs watched Troy for a moment. "All right Sergeant, we'll give anybody you want serious consideration, but it will depend on their availability. I can't make any promises." The captain warned.

"Thank you Captain. I'm not sure about his availability and I'm not sure that Moffitt and Tully will want him, but I want to ask. I'll let you know after I have a chance to talk to them."

"Very well Sergeant, I'll see you then. Just remember, you leave again tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

Troy went straight to the hospital after leaving the captain's office. He found Moffitt reading a book beside Hitch's bed while Hitch slept. "How is he?"

"Resting comfortably." Moffitt answered with a fond smile for the patient. "You look excited Troy. What did the captain say? Are we going back out?"

"Tomorrow." Troy replied. "But I have to ask you something first."

"All right." Moffitt nodded warily. "What is it?"

Troy motioned for Moffitt to follow him out into the hall where their voices wouldn't disturb Hitch. Keeping his voice low, Troy told Moffitt what the captain had told him about Private Cantrell. "I think I can reach him." Troy said after telling Moffitt what he had in mind. "Like the captain said, I have an idea what he's thinking. Remember our talk last night?"

"Yes I do," Moffitt admitted, "but I'm a little surprised that you do. You were pretty drunk."

"Yeah, I got a little carried away." Troy dismissed the incident with a wave of his hand. "With Hitch getting hurt again, I guess I let it get to me. They're my responsibility and I felt like I let him down. When they get hurt it's you they turn to for help."

"Troy." Moffitt began.

"Yeah, I know." Troy interrupted. "I keep them safe and bring them home. But this is different Moffitt; this is something I understand better than most people."

"Why do you need my approval?"

"I need your help." Troy corrected.

"What makes you think I can help? My father is still alive."

"You lost your brother." Troy looked embarrassed to be bringing it up but he continued. "You know how you reacted to that."

"I nearly blew the mission and I got Tully shot." The Brit remembered. "But that was in war, and we weren't particularly close."

"But you still lost it for a while." Troy argued. "You know how grief can affect someone."

"That's true." Moffitt admitted. "It's not something I'm proud of Troy."

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm not judging you. I acted out too when my father died. I'm just saying that we have an idea what Cantrell is dealing with and maybe we can reach him."

"And if we can't? How are you going to feel then?"

"At least I'll know I tried."

"All right."

"All right? Just like that? No conditions?"

"You think you can help. If this is what it takes to make you feel better about yourself then I am willing to give it a try." Moffitt replied simply.

"It could be dangerous." Troy warned. "This guy doesn't care about anyone but himself at this point."

"Then the rest of us will have to continue to take care of each other." Moffitt answered.

Troy nodded. "Do you think Tully will go for it? It's his life at stake to."

"Why don't we go over to the motor pool and ask him?"

Tully listened to Troy's plan with a frown. "Are you sure about this Sarge? That guy goes out of his way to find trouble."

"I was the same way after my father died."

"You Sarge? Come on!"

"I was." Troy repeated. "It took me a while to come out of it…and then I had to have help. I think this guy needs our help."

Tully shook his head.

"I won't ask for him if you don't want him Tully. Like I told Moffitt, it could be dangerous. This guy only cares about himself right now. We won't take him if you're not one hundred percent behind us on this."

"I can't do it Sarge." Tully shook his head again.

Troy sighed, disappointed but not surprised.

"Look Sarge," Tully continued to Troy's surprise, "you know how I feel about you guys. I got your backs and I know you have mine. We take care of each other." The others nodded in agreement. "You said this guy only cares about himself. That means we can't count on him to watch out for any of us."

"That's true." Troy replied. "At least that's the way things stand right now."

Tully nodded. "So I can't say I'm behind you one hundred percent if this guy isn't going to watch our backs." Tully paused and looked earnestly at Troy. "The most I can give you is about ninety-seven percent Sarge. I just can't give you one hundred percent when I don't trust the guy."

"Ninety-seven percent." Troy repeated.

"Yep. Sorry Sarge but that's the best I can do."

"But you're willing to give it a try?" Troy asked eagerly.

"If you're sure this is what you want." Tully nodded. "I'll back whatever plan you come up with. But there is one thing…"

"What's that?"

"I can't promise I won't deck the guy if he gets out of line."

Troy looked over at Moffitt and smiled. "I can live with that Tully. Thank you."

"Then I guess I'd better go get the supplies to stock the new jeep. I can store it in out jeep until the other one is ready."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 5

Captain Boggs was surprised but with Moffitt's support Troy was able to convince him to assign Private Cantrell as their replacement.

"I hope you know what you're doing." The captain said as he sent a runner to the stockade for Cantrell.

"Like I said Captain, I think I understand how he feels. Moffitt lost a brother, so he has some idea what is going on in Cantrell's head too."

"What about Pettigrew?"

"Tully? Tully's good with people." Troy didn't mention Tully's reservations or his warning about possibly decking Cantrell if he got out of line.

The captain shook his head and handed Troy the requisition form for the new jeep and the packet containing their new orders. Troy and Moffitt were looking them over when the MPs arrived with Mitch Cantrell in hand.

The redhead looked just as defiant as he had earlier when entering the captain's office. He glanced at the sergeants curiously before coming to a stop in front of the captain's desk.

"Remove the handcuffs." Once the handcuffs were removed the captain dismissed the MPs. "Private Cantrell, you're being reassigned."

Cantrell smiled at the news. "Don't tell me, my old unit doesn't want me around anymore." He sneered.

"That's probably true." The captain nodded. "You've caused quite a bit of trouble for them. But that isn't why you're being reassigned. Your present commander hasn't been informed of the decision yet. This is only temporary so don't go burning any bridges behind you."

Cantrell looked bored with the captain's advice.

"You will be driving for Sergeant Troy and his unit." Captain Boggs explained. He indicated Troy. "The sergeant has a man injured and he needs a temporary replacement. This assignment may last several weeks so you'll be moving into new quarters. Again, only temporary. You'll be sharing quarters with Troy's other driver so that you'll be close when Troy needs you."

"What happened to his old driver?"

"That doesn't concern you." The captain answered.

"That's all right Captain." Troy interrupted. "He'll find out anyway." Troy looked at Cantrell and explained. "He got hurt when a Stuka dropped a bomb on our jeep."

"Bad?"

"Bad enough." Troy answered.

Cantrell shook his head. "Find another driver."

"We just did." Troy growled. "You're it."

Cantrell shook his head again. "I don't want the job."

"Too bad." Troy growled. "You got it and you're going to do it. Move into Tully's quarters within the hour."

"Not going to happen."

"You can sleep in Tully's quarters tonight or you can sleep in the stockade, but either way, you're going to be driving that jeep tomorrow morning."

"I'll sleep in the stockade." Cantrell snorted.

"Suit yourself." Troy replied. "Let's go."

"Go? Where?"

"Back to the stockade. We won't have time to go looking for you in the morning. If you want to be difficult you can wait for us there so we know where you are."

"You're serious?"

"I'm serious." Troy nodded.

Cantrell looked at the two sergeants and then over at the captain. No one spoke as he made up his mind. "Oh all right, I'll move my things in with your other driver."

Troy nodded.

"If Troy doesn't keep you you're headed right back to the stockade." The captain warned. "This could be your last chance."

Cantrell looked angry but he didn't say anything. He stomped out of the office ahead of the sergeants. Troy watched him go with a smile on his face.

"Are you sure about this Troy?"

"Yes sir, I think I can reach him. Maybe this is just what he needs."

"Good luck, I think you're going to need it." The captain replied. He watched the three of them until they turned a corner and he couldn't see them anymore. He shook his head and turned back to his desk. It still amazed him that he had allowed Troy to talk him into going along with his crazy plan. He hoped that Troy and his unit returned in one piece. He knew that the men of the Rat Patrol counted on each other since they didn't have anyone else to count on. They were alone out there. He worried that Cantrell wouldn't be much help in that department. He sat down at his desk and returned to his daily reports.

Tully was working on his jeep when Troy, Moffitt, and Cantrell showed up. He wiped his hands and stood next to the vehicle to wait for them to reach him.

"Tully, this is Mitch Cantrell. Mitch, this is Tully Pettigrew, our other driver."

"Did you draft him too?" Was all Cantrell said in response to the introductions.

"Did you get the supplies Tully?"

"Right here Sarge. I got another first aid kit for your jeep too. Hitch likes to keep extra oil so I got an extra quart for his jeep."

"Good." Troy nodded. "Show Cantrell how we like them loaded." He looked toward their new member. "We load them a certain way so that we always know where everything is. Sometimes we need to get to something fast and we don't have time to search for it."

Cantrell looked at him but didn't give any other indication that he heard.

"Learn where everything is." Troy ordered. "During battles or in the dark it helps if you know just where to reach."

Tully stepped forward to begin loading the new jeep. "Do you want me to go over the jeep before we leave Sarge?"

"It's brand new, it should be okay, but you can go over it if you have the time. I'll give the requisition form to the mechanics and she'll be all ours."

"Are you a mechanic?" Moffitt looked toward Cantrell as he asked.

"That's what the motor pool is for." Cantrell snarled. "I'm a driver, not a mechanic." He looked over at Troy to see his reaction.

"Once we get out there the nearest motor pool is liable to be a German one." Troy warned. "You may not mind letting them work on your jeep but I have a real problem with it. As long as we're free we work on our own vehicles. Help Tully stock the jeep. Learn where everything is located."

"Do I get the new one?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Cause I don't want to be driving any broken down hunk that he's been working on."

Troy started to reply but Tully beat him to it.

"My baby will beat that factory model of yours any day of the week."

"Prove it!" Cantrell goaded.

"Why not?" Moffitt's agreement surprised the other three.

"This isn't a contest Moffitt." Troy growled.

"Perhaps not." Moffitt shrugged. "But I would like to see how our new driver handles a jeep in the desert. And it seems to me that it might be a good idea to find out before we have Germans shooting at us. After all," he explained, "out there our lives may depend on it."

To Tully's surprise Troy agreed. "Let's go out a few miles and set up a course. We can test the jeep and the driver at the same time."

"You're on!" Cantrell agreed.

"Finish packing the jeep. Moffitt and I will plot the course. I have to go to the hospital because I still haven't had a chance to talk to Hitch. When I get back we'll run the race."

Tully nodded and began shifting the supplies from his jeep to the new one. Cantrell didn't help; he didn't even watch to see where things went.

Hitch was awake when Troy and Moffitt walked in. He smiled when he saw them. "Hey!" He called when they got closer.

"Hey yourself." Troy answered with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Better Sarge. The nurses are taking real good care of me, not that you don't." He hurried to add.

"Yeah, but they're prettier." Troy laughed.

"Yeah." Hitch lowered his head when he answered. "There are a couple of really pretty ones."

"Ut-oh. You know what that means." Troy smiled at Moffitt.

"I'm afraid I do old man." The Brit nodded solemnly. "His recovery may be a slow one. We may be without his excellent driving longer than we anticipated." Moffitt shook his head sadly. "We're going to be stuck with our new replacement longer than we thought. We just can't drag Hitch away from here before he is completely recovered."

"Hey, Andy's not that bad." Hitch protested.

"We didn't get Andy. He's not available right now." Troy explained.

Hitch's smile faded. "Who did you get?"e's not available right now." HH

"Mitch Cantrell."

"Who?" Hitch asked, and then his eyed widened in recognition. "Not that redhead from the bar?"

"One and the same." Troy shrugged.

"But why? Is the captain mad at you or something?"

"Not to our knowledge." Moffitt answered. He smiled at Hitch's reaction despite his own reservations.

"Then why would he give you Mitch Cantrell? That guy is just trying to get himself killed."

"Keep your voice down." Troy urged as nearby patients began to look their way. "We got Cantrell because I asked for him."

"What"

"Hitch!"

"Yeah, keep my voice down." Hitch repeated. "Actually, yelling makes my head hurt anyway. Sarge, why would you ask for Cantrell?"

"Because I think I understand what makes him tick; I think I can help him." Troy explained patiently.

"Sarge."

"I know Hitch, believe me, I know. Look, I've talked to Moffitt and Tully about the risks and they're willing to give this guy a chance."

"Is this because of me?" Hitch asked. "Are you doing this because I let myself get hurt again?"

"It's got nothing to do with you Hitch. Well it does in a way. You got hurt so we need someone to take your place."

"Are you sure that's all it is?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay Sarge, but if he gets you guys killed he's going to have to answer to me."

"In that case I guess it will be between you and him. We won't have much say one way or the other." Troy assured him with a smile.

"Don't let it happen Sarge." Hitch begged.

"We won't Hitch. We'll still be here waiting for you when you're ready to come back."

"Promise?"

"You know better than that. No one can make a promise like that. I can promise that we will be careful and keep our eyes on him. We aren't going into this blind. Trust us.

"I do trust you Sarge; it's Cantrell I don't trust."

"Then forget about Cantrell and trust the three of us to take care of each other." Troy urged.

"Okay Sarge, I guess I can do that; but that doesn't mean I won't worry."

Moffitt laughed. "It seems to me that I've heard those same words somewhere before."

Hitch smiled tiredly. "Sarge said the same thing to me once."

"We have to go Hitch. You need your rest and we have to test our new jeep and our new driver." Troy patted his driver on the arm. "You take care of yourself and do what the doctors tell you. We'll be leaving early tomorrow so we won't be around for a few days."

Hitch nodded carefully, the worry still bright in his eyes. "You take care too."

Tully was sitting on the hood of his jeep when the sergeants returned.

"All ready?"

"Ready Sarge." Tully nodded.

"All right. Moffitt and I have plotted a three mile course that includes as many different types of terrain as possible. The course is a circle so Moffitt and I can keep an eye on your progress. This is an unofficial race but there are rules. Stay away from each other; we can't afford to wreck the jeeps by crashing together. No trying to force the other jeep off the course; run your own race and let the other guy run his. Stay on the course, no shortcuts. This is more for fun than anything else and we don't want anyone to get hurt. Does everyone understand?"

"Got it Sarge." Tully nodded. He took a new matchstick out of his pocket and put it in his mouth. He slid behind his wheel and waited for Moffitt to join him.

"Cantrell, do you understand the rules?"

"Yes Sergeant, I understand the rules. You're afraid I might hurt your guy if we get too close together. I hope he stays out of my way." The redhead sneered in Tully's direction.

Tully didn't show any reaction to the comment; he just sucked on his matchstick and waited.

Troy slid into his seat. "All right, let's head out there. Moffitt and I will show you the course and then you can drop us off in the middle."

Moffitt had Tully lead the way to the course they had plotted. The sergeants pointed out the landmarks they would be using to define the course. Troy lined the two jeeps up side by side and gave the signal to go. Both jeeps peeled out in a cloud of dust that left both sergeants temporarily blinded.

Cantrell hit the gas and his jeep jumped ahead of Tully's. He hit the first turn at top speed and lost control in the loose sand. Tully drove past and took the lead as Cantrell fought to get his vehicle straightened out. Cantrell caught Tully near the first mile marker and tried to pass him. Tully made no attempt to stop him. They hit some small hills and Tully slowed to take the slopes at an angle. Cantrell tried to go straight up. His jeep lost traction and he got stuck as his wheels spun. Tully kept going and disappeared down the other side. It took Cantrell several minutes to back down the slope to firmer ground. Once he did he followed Tully's tracks in the sand.

Glancing over his shoulder Cantrell tried to spot the sergeants. The hill where they stood was blocked from his view. Deciding that if he couldn't see them then they couldn't see him, he took a shortcut that took him way short of the landmarks they were supposed to follow. He swung back on course behind Tully but much closer than he would have been without the shortcut.

At the second mile marker Tully was still ahead but Cantrell was closing the gap. He managed to pass the other jeep on a flat stretch while his engine whined with the stress. Tully heard the whine and looked over with concern. They needed that jeep and he didn't think Troy would be happy if the engine blew before the mission even started. Cantrell pushed the jeep even harder to widen his lead.

Tully backed off again when they came to a field of boulders. Cantrell banged up his jeep trying to get around them at a high rate of speed. Tully caught up again after they cleared the rocks. The two jeeps raced side by side across the top of the dunes. Suddenly Cantrell swerved, forcing Tully to go over the edge to avoid a collision. Tully fought the wheel to keep his jeep from rolling.

The final stretch was the steep hill where Troy and Moffitt waited. The two jeeps were running neck and neck as they approached. Tully swung his jeep off to the side and hit the slope at an angle. His jeep continued up the slope until he parked it next to the sergeants.

Cantrell made it about halfway up the slope before he lost traction. The harder he pressed on the gas the deeper his tires dug into the sand. He tried to back down the hill like he had done before but this time his jeep wouldn't move.

Tully got out of the jeep and stood next to the sergeants as they watched him try to break the tires free.

Finally Cantrell quit trying to drive out of the hole he had dug with his tires and shut off his engine. "Hey, quit your gawking and come down here and help me get this thing out of here!"

Troy glanced over at Moffitt and Tully. Moffitt raised an eyebrow at the private's belligerent tone. Tully took the matchstick from his mouth and looked at it as if he hadn't known it was there. When he glanced over at Troy the sergeant was smiling at him.

The three of them walked down to the trapped jeep. Steam was pouring from under the hood so they stayed clear of the front.

"It looks like you have a problem." Troy remarked after looking the situation over.

"Well help me get it out of here!"

"You got it in there all by yourself," Troy answered, "and that's how you're going to get it out. You do know where we keep the shovels don't you?"

"Oh I get it." Cantrell nodded. "I beat your best driver and you're mad about it."

"Not hardly." Troy growled. "The finish line is up there, you never made it." Troy pointed to where Tully's jeep was parked on the top of the hill. "You didn't finish the race. And as far as beating Tully…you cheated."

"Did Pettigrew tell you that?"

"We were watching the dust trails." Troy growled again. "We could see where you left the trail and cut across the circle. Two, you banged up your jeep in the boulder field. If you had done that out in the desert you could have left us stranded with only one jeep. One jeep and four men means that someone has to walk. We need both jeeps out there. Three, you tried to run Tully off the top of the dune. That was one of the things we told you not to do."

"It's not my fault he drove over the side."

Troy ignored his protests as he continued to count. "Four, you don't know how to climb a hill in the sand. This is the second time you got that jeep stuck in less than three miles. What if the Germans were chasing us and you got us stuck? And five, you overheated your engine. We have to take care of our jeeps, without them we're on foot, and that is bad for any number of reasons." Troy looked over at the steaming jeep. "It can cool down while you're digging it out. Give it some water after it cools and bring it back to the motor pool. Tully will go over both jeeps to make sure we didn't do any damage with this fool race."

"You're not going to help me dig it out?"

"We may have if you had just been honest with us." Troy answered. "But you cheated and then you lied about it. We'll see you back at the base. Be sure you fill that radiator before you head back."

Troy, Moffitt, and Tully climbed into the other jeep and left Cantrell to dig out his jeep alone.

"I'm sorry Troy. I shouldn't have suggested a race. We could have damaged a jeep." Moffitt looked contrite as he slipped from the jeep at the motor pool.

Troy shook his head. "No harm done Doctor."

"We don't know that yet." Moffitt argued. "Tully hasn't gone over the jeeps yet."

"I think they're all right." Troy answered. "And we found out what kind of driver he is. It could have been worse. He's not too bad if he just loses the attitude."

"He won't be happy when he gets back here after digging that jeep out all by himself."

"Then maybe he'll give some thought to being a team player. All he has to do is accept our help. Demanding it isn't going to get him anywhere."

"I'll go over my jeep while I wait for him to bring his back." Tully offered.

"Okay." Troy agreed. "He'll be bunking with you so we know where he is in the morning. Do me a favor and make sure he spends the night in your quarters."

Tully nodded and went to work on his jeep.

"You wanted him to get stuck." Moffitt stated.

"No." Troy answered as they made their way back to their own quarters. "But I'm not upset about it either. Maybe it will do him some good. Now he knows we're not going to give in to his temper tantrums."


	6. Chapter 6

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 6

Cantrell was sweaty and tired when he dropped his jeep off at the motor pool. He glared at everyone who looked his way as he parked the jeep next to Tully's. Tully was already done going over his jeep and was talking to some of the mechanics when Cantrell arrived. The two of them didn't exchange greetings like he would have done with Hitch. But then Hitch would have stayed and helped with the jeep, Cantrell didn't.

Tully went over the jeep and fixed a few minor things he found wrong. While he was at it he pounded out a few of the dents that Cantrell had put in the vehicle. When he checked underneath he found a small hole in the oil pan. He had that fixed before Troy and Moffitt showed up to check on his progress.

"How's it look Tully?"

"Not too bad, I've seen worse Sarge."

"A brand new jeep." Troy shook his head. "I should have known better."

"The damage isn't that bad and now we know what kind of a driver he is." Tully argued, not realizing that he was repeating Troy's argument from earlier.

"He didn't do all that bad did he?" Moffitt looked to Tully for confirmation.

"He didn't take care of his jeep." Troy pointed out. "Did he do any damage by overheating it?"

"She sounded all right when I started her." Tully answered. "Maybe he learned his lesson."

"I hope so." Troy replied. "A mistake like that could get someone killed out in the desert. We depend on those jeeps too much to take chances like that."

"I'm sure he understands that now." Moffitt responded.

Troy looked over at Tully. "Can you have it ready by morning?"

"Almost done now Sarge. She'll be ready to go in about ten minutes."

"Good, then I want you to get some rest so we can leave early tomorrow." Troy looked around the motor pool. "Where's Cantrell?"

Tully shrugged. "I don't know. I'll ask around after I finish the jeep."

Tully spent half an hour with Hitch before leaving so his buddy could get some rest. He told Hitch about the race and the blonde was indignant that Cantrell could abuse a jeep the way he had. He told Troy and Moffitt at supper about Hitch's reaction and they had all had a good laugh about it. They were still smiling when Cantrell walked into the mess hall.

The redhead spotted his new team mates as soon as he walked in. They were all smiling until they saw him. Thinking that they were laughing at him, he sent a glare their way before taking his tray and finding a seat on the other side of the room. He could hear them laughing occasionally as he ate his meal. His anger grew as he imagined everyone looking at him and smiling.

Tully checked his watch again and looked toward the door. Cantrell had not put in an appearance in the room they were supposed to share and it was getting late. Resigned to searching for the man, Tully headed for the most likely place for him to be, the bar.

Loud voices spilled out into the street as Tully neared the newly repaired door. He opened the door to find the scene that he had been expecting since leaving his room. Mitch Cantrell stood at the bar arguing with two other soldiers. The rest of the patrons weren't actively taking sides but Tully knew that that would change as soon as the first punch was thrown. Remembering his promise to Troy, Tully stepped into the room.

"Cantrell, time to go. Sarge wants to leave early tomorrow."

"Get lost Pettigrew, this is none of your business. I'll be along when I'm darn good and ready." Cantrell snarled.

"I'm making it my business." Tully informed him. "Sarge said to make sure we got to bed early. That means you're ready now."

"You'd better get him out of here before he gets into trouble." One off the bartenders warned.

"That's why I'm here." Tully nodded.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Cantrell snarled as Tully walked up next to him.

"Cantrell," Tully sighed, "I warned Sarge that I couldn't promise not to do this."

"Do what?" Cantrell sneered.

Tully's fist connected with the redhead's jaw and Cantrell collapsed against the bar. "That." Tully answered. He held the limp form of the redhead against the bar until he could get a grip on him. "If he wants to press charges, you guys can be witnesses." Tully drawled as he lifted the limp body onto his shoulder.

"We didn't see a thing." One of the guys at the bar stated. A lot of other heads nodded in agreement.

"We have an early patrol tomorrow. I guess I'd better get our sleepy driver to bed."

"Good luck." Someone called as Tully pushed the door open with Cantrell's feet.

By the time Tully got Cantrell back to their room he was ready to turn in himself. The long walk from the bar with the limp form over his shoulder had tired him out. Tully hadn't thought Cantrell was drunk but the redhead continued to sleep as he dropped him on to Hitch's empty bed. "I hope you like sleeping in those clothes cause I'm not about to undress you." Tully muttered as he got ready for bed himself. He turned out the light and slipped under his covers. "At least you don't snore." He mumbled as he dropped off to sleep.

Troy and Moffitt met Tully and Cantrell in the mess hall for breakfast the next morning.

"Everybody sleep all right?" He asked when he saw Cantrell's surly face.

"One of us was out like a light." Tully replied with a smile.

"And the other one?"

"I slept okay too." Tully grinned and looked at Cantrell. "I got plenty of exercise before I turned in."

"Doing what?"

"Boxing." Tully answered. "I have to go get my breakfast, save me a seat." He left before Troy could ask any more questions. Troy caught the look on Cantrell's face and decided to let the matter drop until he could catch Tully alone.

"You'd better get something to eat too." Moffitt told Cantrell. "You never know when you'll get another chance. Sometimes we miss meals when we get busy."

Cantrell glared at Moffitt before getting in line to get his breakfast. When he got back the others were discussing the mission. He would have taken a seat at a different table but Troy called him over.

"We're talking about the assignment and you need to know some of this."

Cantrell sat down and ate while the sergeants talked. He noticed that Tully would ask questions from time to time and even dared to make suggestions about how he thought something could be done. To his surprise, Troy not only listened, but seemed to seriously consider the recommendations. He began to watch the interactions between the three men more closely.

"Okay Moffitt, since Tully knows where we're going I'm going to let you lead out. I'll try to give Cantrell some idea how we work so he knows what to expect when the time comes." Troy took his seat and waited for Cantrell to get behind the wheel. Cantrell took his time taking his seat.

Moffitt nodded and leaned back as Tully guided the jeep expertly around the pedestrians in the road.

Since planes were a constant threat on a clear day Troy began by describing how they handled an aerial attack. Then he went into detail about how they attacked a convoy, just in case the need arose. He emphasized the importance of knowing where the other jeep was at all times. He stressed over and over why they did things the way they did, hoping that Cantrell would understand the importance of the details. "We're a team," he finished by saying, "our very survival depends on us working as a team. We take care of each other and we take care of our jeeps. Forget either of those things and someone could wind up dead."

"Like I said Sergeant, the motor pool is there to take care of our jeeps, I just drive one." Cantrell refused to call Troy 'sarge' like Tully did.

"The first time it breaks down because you didn't take care of it you'll change your mind." Troy predicted. "Just hope there aren't any Germans chasing us when that happens."

Cantrell could see the danger that that would put them in but he wasn't ready to give Troy the satisfaction of agreeing with him so he just stayed silent.

After that the sergeant ignored him for the next couple of hours. Cantrell was left to his own thoughts until they pulled into the shade of a wadi to cool the engines.

"Fill the gas tanks while the engines cool. Lift the hood so the air can get under there. We'll fill the radiators before we pull out." Troy slid from the seat as he gave Cantrell his orders. Before the redhead could say a word the sergeant had grabbed a weapon and gone to stand guard.

"He's nuts if he thinks I'm going to play nursemaid to a jeep. Let somebody else do it." He grumbled under his breath. "I don't work on jeeps he said in a louder voice."

"Suit yourself." Moffitt shrugged. "If your jeep breaks down we only have room for one more in ours."

"And it won't be you." Tully added. "If you aren't willing to take care of your ride you can walk for all I care."

Moffitt gave Tully an approving nod and reached for the map case under his seat. "I want to check our coordinates and then I'll take Troy some water."

"I got the jeep Doc."

Moffitt nodded and took the map case to a nearby rock where he could spread the map out to read it. A few minutes later he put the map away and took a canteen to Troy.

Tully checked his jeep for damage and filled his gas tank. He lifted the hood and checked all the hoses while the engine cooled. Moffitt returned and the two of them talked quietly until Troy called to them to get ready to leave. Tully added water to his and strapped his hood down.

Cantrell watched all of the preparations with a smug grin on his face. He wouldn't give in; sooner or later Troy would have Pettigrew take care of his jeep too.

When Troy returned he took his seat without a word to Cantrell.

"Sarge." Tully called over to Troy. "That jeep didn't get serviced. "I can do it quick before we leave."

Troy looked at Cantrell and shook his head. "Leave it be. Cantrell can manage."

"Okay Sarge." Tully answered with a frown at the jeep and its driver.

"I hope you like walking." Troy told his driver. "Let's move out."

They rode in silence until Tully's jeep dropped back next to Troy's and Moffitt pointed to some dust in the distance.

"Convoy?" Troy asked.

"Not unless it's taking a different route than the others." Moffitt called back. "I suspect it may be a column. They may have sent one out to find us after we shot down those planes."

"That was three days ago." Troy replied. "Why would they think we were still in the area?"

Moffitt chewed on his lip and shrugged. "Perhaps they added extra security to keep us from discovering the answer to the riddle."

"What riddle?"

"Why they're sending out all of those small convoys in place of a few large ones." Moffitt smiled. "That is why we're out here."

Troy nodded while watching the dust. "And one column isn't going to keep us from solving that riddle."

"Be careful Troy, we only saw one, but there may be more."

Troy shook his head. "Headquarters says they haven't had any reports of armor out this way. They couldn't have slipped too may columns past the spotters."

"This one got past." Moffitt pointed out.

"Okay, let's get out of their way. Tully, keep us close to the hills."

Tully nodded and sent his jeep toward the hills where they could find cover in a hurry if they needed it.

Beside Troy Cantrell was trying to keep track of the dust cloud. "What do we do if they spot us?"

"We run." Troy answered. "We can't take on a column. We might do some damage but we can't hold out for long in a prolonged battle."

Cantrell looked at the dust again and was certain that it was getting closer. "Why don't we go faster?"

Troy glanced over and noticed the beads of sweat on the other soldier's brow. "Because if we go fast we leave a dust trail too. As long as they don't know we're here we can hide."

"But we could out run them."

"Maybe." Troy replied. "But why risk it when they don't know we're here. If they spot us we'll run."

Cantrell nodded but he kept glancing back toward the column. A small hissing sound drew the attention of both men.

"Not now." Troy groaned.

"What? What's wrong?" Cantrell asked nervously.

"You didn't take care of the jeep." Troy replied in a tight voice.

"What? We're not out of gas."

"No, but the engine is overheating. Did you lift the hood to let it cool?"

Cantrell looked at the hood of his jeep and saw the first small streams of steam. "I thought you were kidding." He answered lamely.

"Did you fill the radiator?"

The look on his driver's face gave Troy his answer. Troy shook his head and for the first time, despite all of the rude behavior, regretted asking for the private to be his driver.

"Moffitt, we have a problem."

Moffitt and Tully both looked back at Troy's announcement. They both spotted the steam before Troy could explain.

Tully shook his head and bit down on his matchstick, nearly biting it in half.

"We can't out run them with an overheated jeep." Troy explained. "We'll have to split up. If they get too close maybe you and Tully can lead them off while we hide."

"What if they still spot you? We won't be in a position to help you."

"We'll have to take our chances." Troy replied. "I don't want you getting caught because I got careless."

"I don't like it Troy."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"I have an idea but it's hardly worthy of a gentleman." Moffitt glared at Cantrell. "So, no, I suppose not."

"Then you and Tully get out of here. We'll try to camouflage the jeep and stay out of sight. Keep an eye on the column and don't let them see you unless it can't be avoided." Troy had Cantrell drive into a wadi and they climbed from the jeep.

"They'll see your tracks if they come this way." Tully warned.

"Why can't we all just go in the other jeep?" Cantrell demanded.

"Because four men in a jeep will make it overheat in no time." Troy growled. "I'm not letting my whole team get caught because you can't follow orders. We stay here and they do their job. Be careful Moffitt. Don't let them get too close."

Moffitt nodded and ordered Tully to move out. Tully looked back at Troy and said something to Moffitt that the others couldn't hear. Moffitt shook his head and pointed toward a distant hill. Tully didn't look pleased as he drove away.

"We could have gotten away in the other jeep." Cantrell whined.

"And then we all would have been in trouble." Troy growled. "Four men to a jeep means that two of us have to walk at all times. The Germans would have had no trouble catching up to us. I warned you about taking care of our ride."

"But you didn't say that you would let us get captured or killed if I didn't do it!"

Troy stared at Cantrell for a moment, noting the fear in his eyes. "If they find us we'll fight. We'll run the jeep as long as it will go. Maybe Tully and Moffitt can distract them while we make a break for it."

"Then what?"

Troy smiled but it wasn't a pleasant smile. "Then it's up to the Germans."

The column looked like it was going to miss them but at the last minute it swerved in their direction. Troy watched it come nearer and nearer. "They're going to find our tracks."

"What are we going to do?"

Troy looked over at the still steaming jeep and made his decision. "We'll try to sneak out. Get us moving but keep it slow. Stay near the base of the hill. Maybe they won't realize how fresh the tracks are and decide not to follow."

Cantrell nodded and slid into his seat. Under Troy's guidance he kept the jeep near the bottom edge of the hill while trying to put distance between themselves and the approaching column. They rounded the hill and darted for the next one as the sounds of heavy engines echoed across the sand. The dust was right behind them and Cantrell was turning more often to look back. He expected to see the armored vehicles chasing them at any moment. He pressed harder on the gas trying to gain speed without Troy noticing.

"Take it easy on the engine." Troy growled. "Don't heat it up any more than necessary before we make a break for it."

Cantrell looked at the thicker streams of steam and backed off on the gas. He could hear the engines better now, indicating that they were getting closer. He looked back as they rounded the next hill. The column still hadn't caught sight of them. He began to hope that they might sneak away. The hill curved around and Cantrell took the turn thinking that it would act as a screen between them and the column, giving them more time to get clear. He glanced back again, breathing a small sigh as the hill blocked his view. He turned back to the front and froze in shock. Coming toward them around the hill were two German patrol cars.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 7

Troy yelled a warning as Cantrell hit the brakes. "Get us out of here!" The 50 caliber machine gun began to chatter as Troy opened fire on the patrol cars. Cantrell saw the driver of the first car slump over with red dots appearing on his chest. Some of the soldiers in the rear of the car returned fire but several of them were already dead, mute testimony to Troy's marksmanship.

The second patrol car swung around them as the two vehicles met. Troy cleared the gunners from that car with one sweep of the 50. The driver continued on past Troy's gun before making a turn to bring his vehicle up behind the fleeing Allies.

Troy swung his gun around in time to see the driver of the second car stop to pick up the survivors from the first car. He climbed into the passenger seat to better maneuver his gun barrel. Bullets began to pepper the jeep as Cantrell fought to get more speed from the ailing jeep. The driver of the second patrol car ignored Troy's barrage of gunfire to get closer. The bullets from the German gunners was hitting closer to their mark with each passing second. Troy fired another burst and swore as the gun clicked on empty. Pausing to reload, he reached for the spare ammunition belts. His hand found boxes but they weren't the ones he wanted. He looked down at his feet but the ammunition boxes weren't where they usually kept them. "Where's the spare ammo?" He shouted to his driver.

"I moved it," Cantrell shouted back, "I was looking for something."

Troy squatted in the rear of the jeep looking for the ammo as the second patrol car closed in on them. The jeep bucked and the engine quit as Troy grabbed for balance. When he looked up the Germans were right next to them shouting at them to drop their weapons. Troy raised his empty hands and looked over at his driver. "Put your hands up or they'll shoot you."

The Germans in the remaining patrol car jumped to the ground and searched Troy and Cantrell for more weapons. Their hands were tied and they were prodded into the German car. Troy looked around for Tully and Moffitt but he knew they hadn't had time to react to the situation. The fight had been too brief. They wouldn't have had time to get in position to do any good and giving away their presence would have made them targets too. He was glad that they hadn't been discovered.

"We're alone out here so we can't expect any help." Troy looked at Cantrell as he spoke. "Don't tell them anything but your name, rank, and service number." He tried to convey his meaning with a look but he couldn't be sure that the other man had gotten the message. He didn't dare say more in case any of the Germans spoke English. He tried not to look for the others. The last he saw of the jeep was the steam still rising from the radiator as they were driven away.

The column was following their tracks as they were taken back to the main column. The entire column ground to a halt as the patrol car came into view. The commander of the column climbed from his tank and walked over to examine their prizes.

"So, we caught you."

Troy looked at the German officer without speaking.

"Where are the others?"

Troy still didn't answer."

"Come now Sergeant, we know that there are two of you, two jeeps and four men. Tell me, where are the others?"

"Didn't your pilot tell you?" Troy growled. "They killed my other two men. Blew the jeep into a thousand pieces and killed my men. If I ever get my hands on that pilot…"

"That's hardly likely Sergeant." The German officer smirked. "We are in control here now." He eyed the two prisoners curiously. "Why are you out here alone Sergeant?"

"Revenge." Troy growled. "You killed my men; I wanted to kill a few of yours."

"All by yourself?" The officer asked doubtfully. His raised eyebrow seemed to indicate that he found the idea unrealistic.

"My gun still kills." Troy growled angrily. "Headquarters wouldn't give me any more men to do what I had in mind."

"Revenge?"

Troy gave the officer a glare in answer.

The officer shook his head. "You Americans are too sentimental." He looked at the prisoners and smiled. "And foolish."

"What was that all about?" Cantrell asked as they were once again loaded into a vehicle and the column continued on its way.

"Don't talk." Troy ordered in a hushed tone. "They might hear us."

Cantrell snorted. "I don't have anything important to tell them." Troy glared at him and he fell silent. They rode in silence all the way to the German base.

Cantrell was the first to be questioned. Troy waited anxiously for the Germans to return the private to their cell. When he was returned Troy helped him to his bunk. His face was bruised and battered from the interrogation. Troy didn't have time to ask him any questions as the guards ordered him to stand so they could tie his hands. Troy looked back to see the injured private watching him as the guards led him away.

"I have a few questions for you." The commander from the column stated.

"You're the base commander?" Troy didn't try to hide his surprise.

"I am." The officer nodded. "Tell me about your other men."

Troy didn't answer right away. One of the guards stepped forward at a motion from the commander and hit him across the face.

"You said your men were killed." The officer said." Tell me how it happened."

Troy shrugged. "We were headed back to our base from a regular recon mission. We didn't see the planes in time to hide. They came out of the sun and attacked us. We managed to shoot one down but the other one dropped a bomb on our jeep. Both of my men were killed."

"Your driver denied knowing what happened."

Troy shrugged again. "My regular driver was wounded in the attack. This guy is a replacement driver. He wasn't with us when it happened. He's only temporary; he didn't need to know the details."

The officer nodded. Troy's account matched the report from the pilot. The ground troops who had gone to investigate the wreckage had verified the details. They had found the wreckage of the jeep and reported finding blood in several locations, but no bodies. The presence of the second jeep would account for that discrepancy. The surviving soldiers could have taken the bodies or buried them somewhere. It also made sense to the German that the replacement wouldn't have been given the details; the lower ranks didn't have a need to know.

"Very well Sergeant, now tell me what your mission was."

Troy hesitated before he answered. "It was a normal recon to check for activity in that sector."

"The area where you were attacked?"

"Yes." Troy responded.

"And you didn't search any other areas for activity?"

"Why would we?" Troy asked. He tried to copy the look of innocence that Hitch often used. He knew he couldn't pull it off as well as his regular driver but the officer was already half convinced.

"I'm not sure I believe you." The officer watched him for a reaction.

Troy shrugged as if he didn't care. "What can I tell you, it's the truth? We hadn't seen any activity to report so we weren't expecting any planes to be patrolling the area. What were those planes doing out there anyway?"

"Never mind Sergeant, it doesn't concern you."

"It got two of my men killed." Troy growled.

"You should have forgotten about them and just stayed on your base." The officer suggested. "Now you're a prisoner."

"I had to try." Troy answered. "I owed them that much."

"And it will get you and another man killed." The officer answered. He waved his hand and ordered Troy taken back to his cell.

Cantrell was resting when Troy returned. He sat up when the guards opened the cell door and shoved Troy through. "You don't look too bad. Did you tell them what they wanted to know?"

Troy glanced back toward the corridor to see where the guards were standing. All of the guards had moved into the room at the end of the cell block. Troy could hear them talking among themselves. "I told them what they needed to hear." He said in a low voice. "I told them that we were alone and that my other two men were killed in the plane attack. I told them that I was here for revenge and that you didn't know anything. As long as we stick to that simple story we should be all right. He knows you're a replacement so I don't think he'll ask you too many questions."

"What about you?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know. Hopefully he bought my story and he won't ask me much either. He seemed to be awfully concerned about what we were doing out here. He asked what our mission was."

"You told him we were here for revenge, right?"

"I mean the mission that got my men killed." Troy clarified. "I told him it was a simple recon mission to look for activity. I said we didn't find any so we weren't expecting the planes. I also told him you weren't with me then and I didn't tell you any details. I think he bought it because the Germans don't tell their rank and file any details either."

"Why would you try to protect me?"

"I got you into this." Troy replied.

"No you didn't." Cantrell argued. "I'm the one who didn't take care of the jeep. You told me to but I was too stubborn."

"It's a little late for the blame game now." Troy answered. "They aren't planning on letting us go so we'll have to get out of here on our own."

Cantrell didn't ask about the others because he didn't expect them to come for him. He figured they were halfway back to the base by now. "Look Sergeant, I'm sorry. I got us into this."

"Let's just worry about getting us out of it." Troy urged.

"It's my fault." Cantrell continued. "You were right all along; I have been trying to cause trouble."

Troy nodded. "I get it Cantrell." He sighed and resigned himself to the speech he had known all along he would probably have to make. "I know about your father."

"What do you mean?" The private asked, suddenly defensive.

"I know you lost your father."

"Who told you?"

"It doesn't matter who told me." Troy responded. "The person who told me was just trying to help you."

"I don't need help."

"Stop it Cantrell! You just said it yourself; you go around trying to make trouble. You don't have any friends, mainly because you won't let anyone get close to you. You go out of your way to drive people away. I get it. I did the same thing when I lost my father."

Cantrell started to argue but just then the guards returned with what was supposed to be their supper. He held his tongue while the guards shoved the plates into the cell. Neither of them spoke while the guards were within hearing distance.

"I get that you don't want to talk about this." Troy began again after the guards were gone.

"You're right." Cantrell snarled.

"We have to get something straight." Troy continued. "I know you don't want help from anyone…but we're in this together. That officer isn't going to send us to any POW camp. He's going to have us shot unless I miss my guess."

"Shot! We're prisoners of war!" Cantrell yelped.

"And we're looking into something they don't want us to know." Troy answered. "They are going to do whatever it takes to keep their secret, whatever it is."

Cantrell stared at Troy angrily. "This is all your fault."

"I already said that." Troy admitted. "But to be completely honest, you are the one who didn't service the jeep when I told you to. In case you've forgotten, I did tell you that we would be in trouble if it broke down while we were being chased."

"Yeah, but…" Cantrell couldn't think of an argument for that.

"It's too late to worry about that." Troy continued. "Right now we have to work together or we're not going to get out of here."

"How do I know you won't leave me the first chance you get?"

"I'm not going to leave you. You're a pain where a pill can't reach but I'm not going to leave you." Troy glanced toward the room where the guards were gathered. "We have to get out of here and get past the guards without tipping off the whole base. Then we have to find some transportation. They didn't bring our jeep so we'll have to borrow a car."

"Just like that?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"If I did, would you listen?"

"If it had a chance of working, yes."

Cantrell remembered how Troy had listened to Tully's suggestions and let the matter drop. "What's your plan?"

"I don't actually have one yet." Troy admitted.

"Some plan." Cantrell grumbled.

They didn't talk anymore until darkness started to fall. Troy went to the window when he heard a car outside. Two soldiers parked a patrol car right behind the next building and walked away.

"There's our ride." Troy remarked when Cantrell joined him at the window.

"Yeah, how are we going to get to it?"

Troy glanced toward the room where the guards were still joking and laughing. "We have to get a few guards in here. We'll have to wait until dark to do it though."

Cantrell sat on his cot and watched as Troy paced the cell. "You said that you knew how I felt about losing my dad. What did you mean when you said you did the same thing?"

Troy stopped pacing to face the private. "I lost my father when I was sixteen. We were really close and I took it hard. I lashed out at everyone who tried to help me. I guess I thought that I was the only one who was really hurting. I knew that they had lost him too…but he was my father, my best friend. My brother wasn't as close as I was to my father. He took it hard but he dealt with it in a different way. I began to act out. I tried to push everyone away. I did for a while, but they wouldn't give up on me. It took a long time but I finally realized that I wasn't alone. You need to know that you don't have to be alone either. There are people out there willing to help you. From what I understand there is a whole town willing to give you a hand. You may have burned a few bridges, but you can rebuild them if you try. You have friends if you want them. You have us."

"Us?"

"Moffitt, Tully and I are willing to be your friends. You just need to accept that helping hand. We're there for each other; we can be there for you too."

"Why? Why would any of you want to help me?"

Troy shrugged. "You need someone. Nobody makes it on their own. Moffitt lost a brother. Tully is always willing to help anyone who needs it. He has a very nurturing nature." Troy smiled when he thought about his other driver. "You just have to reach out Cantrell, we'll be there."

Cantrell leaned back against the wall and thought about what Troy had said. It was true, he did feel alone. It was a feeling that he was rapidly getting tired of carrying around with him.

"My dad had cancer." He said into the silence of the cell. "He knew he was going to die. It was hard watching him waste away. He kept it from me as long as he could but I knew he was hiding something. He didn't want me to worry."

Troy nodded. "Fathers are like that. They try to protect the ones they love."

"How did your father die?"

"Car accident." Troy replied. "I never even got the chance to say goodbye. He was killed instantly."

"That's tough." Cantrell nodded. "At least I had a chance to tell my dad how much I loved him."

Troy turned away as he talked, the memories flooding back with all of the old pain. "My dad was always smiling. He said that the only thing he wanted for us was for us to have a happy life." Troy looked out the window again. "That's the thing I hold on to."

"My dad wanted me to take over his business."

"Who is running it now?"

"My mom is trying..but it's hard for her."

"Are you planning on going home after the war to take over?"

Cantrell shrugged. "I wasn't planning on it, but maybe."

Troy turned back to the other man and smiled. "It sounds like a good idea to me. You could rebuild those bridges while you help your mom."

Cantrell nodded. "Maybe I will."


	8. Chapter 8

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 8

After it got dark Troy began to plan their escape. He was hoping that the guards would come to check on them before the shift change. He loosened a leg on a stool next to the cots and waited for an opportunity.

Cantrell had been quiet since their talk. Troy hoped that the private would cooperate once an opportunity presented itself. It was in no way a foregone conclusion. With his belligerent attitude Troy couldn't tell if he was thinking of helping or trying to come up with a way to break out all by himself. Moffitt and Tully were still out there but Troy wasn't sure if they would be able to get onto the base. He wasn't going to sit around and wait for them. He was determined not to risk any more lives than necessary to escape.

He looked over at Cantrell but the private appeared to be asleep. He decided not to wake him until he needed his assistance. He began pacing the cell again.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

Troy turned to glance at the reclining figure of his present cellmate. "I thought you were asleep."

"Just thinking."

"About what? Dancing girls?"

"Dancing girls? Is that what you think about at times like these?" Cantrell sat up to watch Troy.

"No." Troy laughed. "Hitch might, and maybe Tully, but not me."

"They think about dancing girls when they're about to be shot?"

"Sometimes when they're getting shot at." Troy confirmed. "Tully swore he saw a dancing girl doing the lindy right in the middle of a fight with some renegade Arabs." Troy laughed at the memory.

"You like your men don't you?" Cantrell sounded almost wistful.

"Yeah, I do. I respect every one of them too. They're good men." Troy admitted. "Good soldiers."

"They like you too."

Troy looked over at Cantrell and smiled.

"So have you come up with a plan yet?"

"I'm hoping a couple of guards will come in to check on us pretty soon." Troy held up the leg he had taken from the stool. "If I get their attention, can you knock them out with this?"

Cantrell took the leg and checked it for weight. "Yeah, I think so."

"Don't pull your punches." Troy warned. "If you're tempted to hold back just remember, they're planning on shooting us in cold blood."

Cantrell looked over at Troy and nodded.

"Sit back down on your cot and wait for me to get them distracted. Don't make a move until I say so." Troy ordered.

The guards made their rounds not long after Troy gave Cantrell his instructions. They came down the hall laughing between themselves. Troy waited until they were almost there to start choking. He held his throat and sagged to his knees. The guards looked at him and then at each other. One of them motioned for Cantrell to do something. Cantrell shrugged his shoulders and remained where he was.

One of the guards motioned for Cantrell to move to the rear of the cell. He got up and moved around the edge of the wall until he was behind Troy. The guards produced a key and opened the cell door. One of them bent over Troy while the other one watched Cantrell. Troy continued to choke as the guard pounded him on the back. Holding his breath, the sergeant rolled onto his side, falling against the guard who was watching Cantrell. The guard stepped away and Troy kicked him in the stomach. "Now" He ordered as the second guard realized it was a trick and started to get to his feet. Cantrell stepped forward and hit the guard over the head with the wooden leg. He spun and hit the guard that Troy had kicked before he could catch his breath and yell for help.

Troy jumped to his feet and checked both guards. He was grinning when he stood up. "Grab their weapons and let's get out of here."

Cantrell picked up a fallen rifle and followed Troy down the corridor. They paused at the door to the room where the guards gathered. Troy took a quick peek and motioned for Cantrell to run across the doorway. He followed a moment later and they continued toward the outside door.

Troy again took the lead and opened the door a crack to make sure there was no one out there to see them leave. Giving Cantrell the all clear signal the two men slipped out the door and ran for the patrol car Troy had marked as their escape vehicle. They had just reached the car when a voice floated out of the dark. Troy turned to face the German soldier standing in the shadows.

"How rude of you old man." The soldier said in a very familiar tone. "After all of the trouble we went to to rescue you, you couldn't wait for us? And if I'm not mistaken, you're planning on stealing our car too."

"You're late." Troy smiled. "Where's Tully?"

Moffitt turned to look as another German soldier ran toward them. "I believe that's him coming now."

"Then let's not wait around to be missed." Troy suggested. "We only knocked the guards out."

"Tully left them a surprise when they open the door." Moffitt explained as he climbed into the patrol car. "He rigged a grenade to the door. When they open it they are going to get a bang out of the surprise."

"That will alert the entire base." Troy answered. "We'd better be gone by then."

"The gates are heavily guarded." Moffitt warned as Tully slid into the driver's seat. "We decided a little distraction would ease our passage through the gate. There are grenades in that bag on the seat. Feel free to help out any time you get the chance."

Troy nodded and reached for the bag. He palmed two grenades and prepared to blow the gate. Moffitt and Cantrell lifted their rifles and waited for the gate to come into sight. The explosion behind them let them know that their escape had been noticed. They blew through the gate while the guards were still trying to decide what was happening.

Tully kept the patrol car moving while Troy filled them in on what had transpired with the base commander.

"You're participation in our escape may convince him that I was lying." Troy smiled.

"You should have said something chap. We would have let you escape all on your own. Wouldn't we Tully?"

"Sure Doc, we could have been lying in the sand getting a suntan instead of stealing cars and blowing up gates." Tully grinned at his sergeant.

"Or watching dancing girls." Troy suggested.

"You know where I can find some?" Tully asked eagerly.

"Not off hand." Troy laughed.

Tully shook his head in disappointment. He listened as Troy finished his story. Finally he pulled into a wadi where two jeeps sat covered in tarps.

"You salvaged the other jeep." Troy cried in surprise. "Does it run?"

"Like a top." Tully nodded. "The engine was overheated but the block wasn't cracked. We just let her cool down and filled the radiator. She does have a few bullets holes in her that weren't there before."

"I saw what happened Troy but we couldn't reach you in time. They were hauling you away before I could get to my jeep and tell Tully what had happened."

"That's all right." Troy responded. "I was hoping you wouldn't reveal yourself. That commander told me more than he would have if he had known you were still out there." Troy looked over at the jeep. "There is one thing I need to do."

"What's that?" Moffitt looked at the jeep too.

"Tully, can you repack the jeep? Put everything back where it belongs."

"Sure Sarge, but I put it where it was supposed to go the first time."

"I know, but it got moved. I couldn't find the extra ammo when i needed it. Find it and put it back where it belongs."

Tully nodded.

"Cantrell, help him."

"Right Sarge."

Moffitt and Tully looked over at Troy's driver in surprise. Not only had he agreed to help, but he was calling Troy 'sarge' instead of 'sergeant'. Troy saw them looking and smiled at them.

The jeep was quickly repacked. Troy could hear Tully explaining to Cantrell where things went and why they put them there. He smiled in the dark at the change in the redhead.

When they were finished Tully walked over to where the sergeants were talking. "All finished Sarge."

"Thanks Tully. And thanks for coming after us."

"Any time Sarge. You'd do the same for us."

Cantrell was standing off to the side watching the exchange. Troy noticed him and called him over.

"We need a new plan of action." Troy indicated Moffitt. "We've been talking. Watching the convoys isn't giving us any answers."

"You want to follow them?" Tully asked.

"We want to sneak up and peek inside." Troy corrected.

"Are you nuts?" Cantrell squeaked. "We just got away from those guys."

"But we haven't completed our mission." Troy answered. "We have a job to do."

"But they will be expecting us."

Troy shrugged. "We know they're waiting for us. It doesn't change anything. Headquarters still wants that information."

Cantrell looked around at the others and realized that he was the only one with any objections. Nodding slowly, he waited to hear what the sergeant had to say.

"We'll have to locate another convoy. Once we do we'll follow it until it camps for the night. Moffitt and I will go in while you and Tully guard the jeeps."

Cantrell nodded.

"We'll take a quick peek and get out before we're discovered."

"You hope." Cantrell grunted.

"We hope." Troy repeated as Cantrell blushed at being heard.

"Let's get some sleep and go hunting tomorrow."

The camp got quiet as everyone turned in. Cantrell was on watch when he heard a sound behind him. Turning he heard Troy announce his presence.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Cantrell grunted.

Troy laughed.

"What's so funny?"

Troy shook his head. "That's what Tully and Hitch always say when we ask how they're doing.otch always say

They can be hanging on by a thread and they will say they're fine." Troy shook his head again. "It's become sort of our own private joke."

"I'm not hanging on by a thread."

"You're not fine either." Troy countered. "You went through a lot today. It's okay to need time to come to terms with all of it."

"You don't seem to be bothered by it."

Troy shrugged. "We've been caught before. It's never relaxing but it's not always so tense either. There are some Germans who can be counted on to treat prisoners according to the Geneva Convention. That commander was not one of them."

"I guess it did shake me up a bit."

"Nothing wrong with admitting that."

"I was surprised too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I wasn't expecting Moffitt and Pettigrew to come back. They got away. Why would they come back?"

Troy looked back at the camp and the two figures sleeping near the jeeps. "I told you, they're good men, good soldiers. We take care of each other. They were doing what we always do. We don't leave anyone behind."

"Would they have come back if I had been alone?"

"You're not alone." Troy insisted. "You have us. And yes, they would have come back."

Cantrell nodded. He wasn't sure why he believed it, but he did.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 9

"There's another small convoy headed this way." Troy explained as the others waited by the jeeps. "We'll stay out of sight and follow them."

"They'll be expecting us Sarge." Tully voiced Cantrell's concerns before Cantrell could say it.

"It can't be helped."

"Maybe not, but we don't have to drive right into their hands." Tully drawled.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Instead of keeping our eyes on them we can just follow their tracks. That should keep us far enough back to avoid anyone seeing us. It's not like we're going to be losing the trail before we find the camp."

Troy nodded. "I guess we can do that. We haven't discovered what they're hauling by watching them anyway."

"It will allow us to drive in short bursts and cover the jeeps while we wait." Moffitt added. "We can expect air cover now that they know we're here."

"We'll have to use the rakes to keep the planes from spotting our tracks." Tully warned.

Troy nodded. "Okay. We'll let the convoy get ahead and then we'll follow. Cover the jeeps for now and we'll take turns on watch."

They watched the dust from the convoy until it was lost in the distance. Troy was about to order the nets removed when the first plane flew over. They all ducked under the nets and watched as it flew along the route being used by the convoys.

Troy chewed on his lip and watched as it became a speck in the sky.

"All right, let's move. Moffitt, get the map out and find us a place to stop until the plane goes over again."

They were on their third stop when the second convoy caught up to them.

"Three convoys a day." Troy noted. "That should be number two."

"Which one are we going to check?" Moffitt lowered the glasses to look at Troy. "They all look alike. I suppose one is as good as another."

Troy nodded. "Let's let the third one go by and try to get to that one. I don't like having them drive up behind us."

"We should try to get some sleep. Tully and Cantrell will be driving in the dark tonight."

Troy lifted his glasses to his eyes and nodded. "Go tell them to get some rest. I want to keep an eye on the convoy as long as I can. I still can't figure out why they are running so many small ones."

"There is a better chance of slipping a few large ones through than trying to hide all of these small ones." Moffitt agreed.

Troy stayed on the dune watching the convoy until it disappeared ahead of them. He only returned to the cover of the nets when he heard the plane coming back.

The rest of the day they slept or talked quietly and waited. The third convoy passed them just before nightfall. Troy went to wake the others and order them to eat something before they broke camp. He wasn't really hungry himself; he was too preoccupied with the puzzle presented by the convoys.

Once everyone had eaten Troy ordered the nets removed and they began to follow the tracks of the third convoy. The sun had set so there was very little chance of being spotted by a plane. They didn't drag the rakes either since the night wind would erase their tracks before the planes once again took to the skies.

The convoy was camped in a small wadi just off the route they had been using. Troy and Moffitt made their preparations to check the trucks while Tully calmly chewed on his matchstick and watched them. They had done this countless times and he wasn't too concerned.

It was all new to Cantrell however and he paced the wadi where they hid in nervous anticipation. He watched the sergeants leave with a feeling of dread. He climbed the top of the wadi and looked toward the German camp. It was too dark to see anything but he tried anyway. After yet another trip to the top of the dune he slid back down to the jeeps.

"Relax. They'll be back." Tully assured him. "They know what they're doing."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know them." Tully answered. "We've done this before."

"But how will we know if they get caught?"

Tully smiled. "We'll hear the shooting." He looked so calm that Cantrell finally began to relax.

The call from Troy caught Cantrell by surprise. Tully had been looking that way and he had seen them before they announced their presence. He stood lazily and stretched as the two sergeants walked into the wadi. Their blackened faces hid their expressions until they were close.

"What's wrong Sarge?" Tully was suddenly all business. "Couldn't you get close?"

Troy shook his head. "We got a good look at the cargo. That's the problem."

"How can that be a problem?" Cantrell asked. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It was." Moffitt answered for Troy. "But we didn't find what we expected to find."

"What did you find?" Tully asked.

"Rations. Some medical supplies. A lot of parts for trucks and armored vehicles."

"They are using a lot of halftracks and tanks to protect these convoys." Tully remarked. "I guess they need parts for them."

Troy nodded. "We need to move. I want to find that second convoy and see what they're hauling."

Tully nodded and began to uncover the jeep. Cantrell jumped in to uncover his jeep too. By the time the sergeants had decided where to look the jeeps were ready to go.

The second convoy was settled into a wadi with steep sides. Troy and Moffitt had to be careful in their approach to make sure they didn't slip in the sand. They could see soldiers sleeping in groups all around the trucks. Troy frowned when he realized that they would have to pass the soldiers to reach the trucks. He was trying to determine the best way to get around them when Moffitt tapped him on the arm. The British sergeant motioned him back the way they had come. Troy slid back and retreated to where they could talk if they kept their voices low.

"What's wrong? We wanted to see what was in the trucks."

"I think we saw what was in the trucks." Moffitt whispered. "There was snoring coming from the rear of the trucks. My guess is the cargo is troops and they take turns sleeping in the trucks. If the number of troops on the ground is any indication, the Germans are building up their forces."

Troy glanced back toward the German camp. The puzzle just got more confusing. With a jerk of his head he led the way back to the jeeps.

This time when Tully saw the expressions on the sergeant's faces he didn't ask questions. He chewed on his matchstick and waited for them to tell him what they had discovered.

"They're moving troops." Troy informed them. "The trucks are full of troops."

"Then they are planning a new offensive." Tully guessed.

"Maybe." Troy agreed. "I guess we should find that other convoy and find out what that one is moving."

Moffitt looked at his watch and shook his head. "We don't have time to locate it tonight. It's going to be light soon and the convoy will be getting ready to move."

"Maybe if we get close enough we can figure out what they're hauling without actually looking in the trucks." Troy suggested.

"We'd better move then, they'll be breaking camp soon." Moffitt repeated.

"We'll drop the rakes and travel fast until we think we're ahead of them. Then we'll hide close to the route and see what we can see." Troy decided.

The others went to their jeeps and waited until Troy was ready. He kept looking toward the German camp with a frown on his face. Finally he took his seat and Tully and Moffitt led them across the desert in search of a place to hide and watch the convoy pass.

With the arrival of daylight the jeeps were parked and once again covered with nets. The tracks had been erased and every effort made to conceal their presence. Troy was once again lying on top of a dune waiting for the convoy to go by.

"This is quite the puzzle." Moffitt remarked as he dropped down next to Troy.

"A puzzle that commander seemed determined to keep a secret." Troy replied.

"Perhaps his decision to have you shot had more to do with who you were rather than any secret he wanted to keep."

"I don't think so." Troy answered. "He kept asking what we were looking for and seemed interested in what sectors we were in."

"Do you think he still believes it was a regular recon patrol?"

"I wouldn't bet any money on it."

Moffitt smiled. "You're not much of a gambler under any circumstances."

"I'd wager a month's pay that we're on to something here if we can just figure out what it is."

"A month's pay?" Moffitt turned to look for the convoy. "And you think that watching this convoy from here will solve the puzzle?"

"Not really." Troy answered. "I'm just running out of ideas on how to solve it. Those last two convoys were a bust."

"Not completely, we now know that they are moving troops."

"And supplies." Troy added. "But what are they going to do with them? Which base are they going to fortify?"

"It might pay to ask headquarters if they are planning an offensive. Jerry may have gotten wind of some plans of ours that we haven't heard about yet. They could be preparing a defense."

Troy looked over at Moffitt and considered the possibility. "You may have something there. We'll talk to Captain Boggs when we get back. But as long as we're here we may as well check the convoy."

"Then look sharp because here it comes."

The convoy was longer than the other two they had checked but it still had the upgraded security. Four tanks were escorting this one while another four halftracks mingled with the trucks. Two patrol cars acted as outlying scouts.

"It looks like they are expecting us." Moffitt stated as he noted the patrol cars. "They are checking the wadis along the road as they go."

"They don't want us watching these convoys."

"Or perhaps they expect us to attack them now that they think we know they're here." Moffitt reasoned.

"I don't want to attack any of them unless it's a last resort." Troy answered as he remembered the trucks loaded with soldiers. "I don't want any surprises like we had last night."

Moffitt watched the approaching convoy and let his thoughts wander.

"We haven't been moving any armor as far as I know. The last I heard our armor was scattered among half a dozen different bases. I suppose things have been quiet for too long though. Someone was bound to get restless and decided to move."

"They aren't going to push us back without armor." Troy argued. "We're dug in well enough to repel an armed attack with just troops."

"We can tell headquarters that Jerry is moving troops. Perhaps they plan to move the armor after the troops are in place."

"Did we miss the armored columns being moved?" Troy twisted to look at Moffitt. "Our planes fly over this part of the desert keeping an eye out for that sort of thing."

Moffitt shook his head. "They would have spotted columns headed across these plains. We can hide our jeeps but armor is not so easily hidden. A column of any size would be spotted and reported."

Troy shook his head in exasperation. "What are we missing?"

"Not the convoys." Moffitt stated dryly. "We've seen plenty of them in the last week."

Troy nodded. "We're not going to learn anything new here. Let's grab something to eat and try to figure this out."


	10. Chapter 10

**The Helping Hand Raid **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 10

Troy couldn't help but smile when Cantrell offered to dig out their rations. The redhead had come a long way from the belligerent soldier they had recruited from the stockade. He was still sullen on occasion but those periods were getting shorter and further apart. He had actually instigated a couple of conversations during the mad dashes from point to point during the chase to find the convoys.

Thinking back on some of those conversations Troy found himself thinking about his own father. He hadn't thought about his loss for a while, the war having kept him busy. Cantrell had asked him if his loss had affected the way he bonded with his team. The redhead had admitted that he was kind of jealous of the closeness he shared with the other members of his unit. Cantrell had bemoaned the fact that he had alienated the others he fought beside. Troy had urged him to try to make amends, for his sake and for the sake of the unit's moral. There were bound to be conflicts no matter how Cantrell handled it but Troy was convinced that the young soldier had turned the corner and was on his way to getting his life back on track.

"Here Sarge." Cantrell held a pack of rations for Troy.

"Thanks."

"A penny for your thoughts."

Troy grunted. "They're not worth a penny. I still can't figure out what the krauts are up to."

Cantrell nodded and sat on a rock between Troy and Moffitt. "My dad used to tell me a story."

"A story?" Troy asked more to be polite than out of curiosity. The redhead was talking and he didn't want to shut him down and change the mood.

"Yeah, he said that when things don't look like what they seem you have to think outside the box. He had a story he told at times like that."

"What kind of story?" Moffitt asked.

Cantrell smiled, the first real smile they had seen from him since he joined them. "He told a story about this construction site. It was a big job and they hired security to keep the place safe. Every day this guy would walk out the gate with a wheelbarrow full of dirt with his lunchbox on top. The guards thought he was stealing something so every day they would search the lunchbox and make him dump the dirt so they could search that too. They ask him what he was doing with the dirt and he would shrug and say he was filling a hole. They'd let him pass and he would put the dirt back in the wheelbarrow and go on his way. This went on for a week or more. Then one day the guy didn't come through the gate. They never saw him again."

"What happened to him?" The British sergeant asked.

Cantrell shrugged. "A few days after he disappeared the construction foreman sent someone to get a wheelbarrow to do a small job, but he couldn't find a single one. That guy with the dirt had smuggled every single wheelbarrow off the site right under the noses of the guards."

Moffitt laughed. "Rather clever of him."

Cantrell was smiling too until he looked at Troy. Troy's expression wiped the smile off his face. He wondered what he had done to displease the sergeant. When Troy spoke it wasn't to voice the reprimand that Cantrell expected.

"Pack up, we're moving out." Troy was on his feet and moving toward the jeeps before the others could ask any questions.

"Troy! What's the rush? Where are we going?" Moffitt was headed for his own jeep even as he asked the questions. He motioned for Cantrell to hurry when the private sat staring after them.

"Mitch just solved our puzzle." Troy growled as he slid into his seat with a call to Tully to come in off guard duty.

"Me? What? How?" Mitch Cantrell stuttered. He was so confused that it wasn't until later that he realized that Troy had called him by his first name.

"We didn't miss the armored columns, there weren't any." Troy told Moffitt. "They were moving the armor right under our noses."

"I don't understand." Moffitt frowned as Tully slid into his seat.

"The extra security for all of those small convoys." Troy explained. "We couldn't figure out why they had so many tanks and halftracks for so few trucks."

Moffitt nodded in confusion.

"They were hauling supplies and troops in the trucks." Troy went on. "But the real cargo was the armor. They moved all of that armor and we watched it go without realizing that they now have enough armor here to mount an offensive." Troy looked over at Moffitt. "We never saw any of the vehicles going back the way they came."

Moffitt smiled grimly. "They must be hiding it in the mountains until they're ready to launch the offensive. There are plenty of places to hide it up there."

Troy nodded. "And our armor is scattered over several bases. We won't be able to move it in time once the offensive starts. They'll take up positions and pick off our armor as it tries to get into position for our defense."

"We gotta warn headquarters." Tully said into the stunned silence that followed Troy's bombshell.

"Let's go." Troy ordered. The two jeeps shot off across the desert toward their home base. They were so obsessed with getting the news to headquarters that they almost missed the plane that was patrolling the desert.

The plane came in low as the four men sat under the camo net and waited. It had been close but they had spotted the aircraft before it had spotted them. The nets were in place and they were prepared to fight if the plane saw them but they all hoped it would fly over without seeing them.

Troy could see the pilot through the canopy leaning to the side to scan the desert below his aircraft. The jeep tracks were visible to Troy but he wasn't sure if the pilot could see them. He knew tracks were hard to spot from the sky unless the sun was angled just right. He held his breath and waited with the others.

The pilot seemed to stay on their tracks for a moment before he pulled up and angled his plane to more closely follow the convoy route. They watched as the speck that was the plane became smaller and smaller until they couldn't see it anymore.

Jerking the netting off of the jeep, Troy gave the order to continue.

"We should watch the sky more closely." Moffitt suggested when Tully's jeep pulled up beside Troy's. "That pilot spent too much time following our tracks."

"You think he saw them?" Troy asked.

"I think it's a definite possibility." The Brit answered.

Troy nodded thoughtfully. "I don't want to make any detours; we need to get within radio range of home. We'll just have to stay sharp."

The Brit nodded and went back to watching the sky.

When Troy thought they were within radio range they stopped the jeeps in a wadi. Cantrell took watch while Moffitt checked the maps and Troy coded a message to send to the base. Tully was warming up the radio so Troy would be able to send the message right away.

"Pettigrew!"

Tully reacted instinctively. He spun and dropped to the ground as a bullet hit the jeep right next to him. Another shot rang out and he twisted to look toward the sound. Cantrell was running toward the other side of the wadi while trying to see all around him as he ran. Troy and Moffitt had dropped at the first shot but both of them were now reaching for weapons. Tully saw a head pop up where Cantrell had been standing guard and he shouted a warning to Troy. Troy got off the first shot and the Arab crumpled to the ground. Cantrell fired another shot and Moffitt headed in that direction to see if he could help. Tully reached the weapon on the jeep's front fender and turned to give Troy backing as the sergeant went to check on his victim. The wadi got quiet again with only the sound of sands shifting as the four men searched for any more of the Arabs.

"All clear." Moffitt called after checking the surrounding area. "I found their horses; there were only three of them."

Troy nodded and relaxed. "They were waiting for us."

"It appears so." Moffitt admitted. "From the signs it's apparent that they have been here for a while. They seemed to be waiting for something, and I believe you're right, it was us."

"I found this." Tully held up a long silver canister.

Moffitt took it and twisted the end. He pulled out a sheet of paper.

"What is it?"

Moffitt's brow wrinkled as he read. "That plane spotted our tracks but he couldn't verify where we came from. It would seem that Jerry has bands of Arabs out here watching for intruders. The pilot dropped this canister to tell this band to be on the lookout for us."

"They know we know."

"Or they suspect as much." Moffitt agreed. "Either way, they aren't taking any chances."

"All the more reason to get this message to headquarters. They may move up their timetable if they think their secret is out." Troy got on the radio and sent the message. Once headquarters confirmed that they had received it he turned the radio off and lowered the antennae. "Let's go home."

Not one person offered him an argument.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Helping Hand Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 11

"I guess I should report to the Captain." Cantrell slid from his seat and nodded at Tully. "He probably wants me to finish my stint in the stockade." Tully chewed on his matchstick and watched as Cantrell patted the jeep affectionately. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm going to miss this jeep."

"You should stick around and restock it before you go." Tully replied. "Sarge always wants them ready to go on a moment's notice."

"Yeah, okay, I guess I can do that." Cantrell nodded.

"I never thanked you for saving my life." Tully said as Cantrell waited for him to get out of his jeep. "Thanks."

"Any time." Cantrell answered.

Tully smiled.

"What?"

"That's our standard answer." Tully admitted.

"You mean like fine when you get hurt?"

"Yeah, like that." Tully grinned.

"You know, you guys aren't so bad."

"Thanks."

"I guess I owe you."

"For what?"

"Helping me out." Cantrell answered. "I was being a real pain and you guys put up with me."

"It wasn't easy." Tully nodded.

"Why'd you do it?"

Tully busied himself making a list of things they needed before he answered. "It was important to Sarge."

"But why did you help?"

"Because it was important to Sarge."

Cantrell didn't comment right away. He seemed lost in thought all the way to supply and back. "I guess I owe him the most of all."

"Just walk the line from now on." Tully advised. "That's all he wants. He just wanted to help you find your way back."

"I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything." Tully suggested. "Show him by being happy. Get your life back on track."

"I will." Cantrell nodded. "Thanks Tully."

"You're welcome Mitch. Mitch." Tully repeated. "I'll bet Sarge is glad you didn't replace Doc or me."

"Why's that?"

Tully chuckled. "Can you see him trying to keep Mitch and Hitch straight when he's giving orders?"

Mitch laughed at the thought.

"Come on." Tully urged when the supplies were all put away. "Let's go find Sarge and Doc."

They met Troy and Moffitt before they reached headquarters. The two sergeants were headed for the motor pool to find them.

"Are the jeeps ready to go?" Troy asked.

Tully nodded but Cantrell said "Ready Sarge."

Tully looked over at Cantrell and smiled.

Troy saw the smile and gave him a questioning look. "Just thinking Sarge." Tully explained.

"About what?"

"Mitch and Hitch. They both claim they're fine when you ask how they are. They both say anytime when you thank them for saving your life. Neither one of them can drive worth a darn and neither one of them can fix a jeep." Tully teased. "Aren't you glad they aren't both on the team at the same time?"

Troy made a face at Tully's comparisons. "That would be a nightmare."

"Mitch and Hitch." Moffitt repeated. "That might make things interesting."

"That won't happen." Mitch hurried to assure them. "I'll be going back to the stockade and your guy will be coming back once he gets better."

"You're not going back to the stockade." Troy answered. "The captain has decided that you learned your lesson. We told him it was you who cracked this puzzle. He was impressed. Besides, Hitch isn't back yet and we still need a driver."

"It may be a while." Moffitt added. "It seems that Hitch found himself a pretty nurse."

"Of course he did." Tully laughed.

"We were going to head over there now, want to come along?" Troy directed his question at Cantrell.

"What if he doesn't want me there?"

"Why wouldn't he want you there?" Moffitt asked.

"Well, you know, because of my reputation." Cantrell answered with hesitation.

"Leave that guy on the desert." Troy answered. "Bring the new guy along. We like him better anyway."

Mitch looked uncertain until Tully patted his arm. "I can't wait to tell Hitch what you did to his jeep."

"I didn't do anything."

"Then you'd better come along and defend yourself." Troy laughed. "If you don't Tully will fill Hitch's head with all sorts of wild tales."

Mitch nodded. "I guess I'd better.

Hitch was awake when they walked into the hospital. His bright smile was back at the sight of them. "You made it!" He cried.

"I told you we'd be back." Troy smiled. Hitch looked better and Troy was glad to see it.

Hitch looked at Mitch and then to the others. "Is everything okay?"

Tully lowered his eyes and mumbled. "It's about your jeep."

"No! He didn't ruin my new jeep did he?" Hitch threw a glare in Mitch's direction before he looked at Tully for an explanation. "Tell me he didn't lose it."

"He didn't lose it." Tully answered with a straight face.

Hitch looked relieved for a minute but then he realized that he still didn't know what Tully was talking about. "What did he do Tully? Tell me."

"You shouldn't be getting so upset Hitch." Tully soothed.

"Tully!"

Tully looked over at Mitch and grinned. "He went and fell in love with her." Tully nodded. "Yep, you lost her before you even met her."

"Tully!" Troy growled while trying to hold back the laughter.

"It's true Sarge. You should have seen him mooning over her when he thought he wasn't going to see her again."

Mitch hit Tully on the arm but he was grinning too.

"How are you doing Hitch?" Troy asked when the laughter died down.

"Fine Sarge."

All four of his visitors burst out laughing again.

"Tully can explain." Troy said when Hitch looked confused. "What did the doctors say? When are you getting out of here?"

Hitch lost his smile. "Not for another week at least. They don't want me going back on duty until the concussion clears up completely. I still get headaches and I see double when I get tired."

Troy nodded at the answer he had expected. Captain Boggs had told him much the same thing but he was glad that Hitch was being honest about his limitations.

"Are you going back out?" Hitch asked.

Troy shrugged. "We don't know yet."

"I wish I could go with you."

"What? And leave those nurses to get lonely?" Moffitt teased.

"They have plenty of company." Hitch answered. "You need a driver."

"Mitch is taking your place until you get back." Troy explained. "We'd get someone else but we couldn't bear to tear him away from his jeep." Troy added with a smile.

Hitch turned his attention to his replacement. "You watch their backs or else…" He warned.

To his surprise Mitch just nodded. "I'll do that."

Troy looked at the men around the bed and the one in it and smiled, more content than he had been in a long time. The conversation flowed easily until Hitch started to show signs of tiring. The others took their leave to give him a chance to rest.

"Am I really staying with you until he gets back?" Mitch asked.

Troy nodded. "We asked for you and the captain agreed. You're stuck with us until then."

"Thanks." Mitch blurted.

"Anytime." The others answered together.itch's head with all sorts of wild tales."HitchH


End file.
